Shades of Innocence
by Henrietta R. Hippo
Summary: Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye. Gerita, USUK, Spamano
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Italy discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Crippling silence gripped the courtroom as the small Italian cafe owner awaited his fate. Behind him in the stands sat his older brother, hand tightly gasping his Spanish partner's, both barely able to breathe. Time seemed to stand still; it was as if the large clock sat on the wall above the judge's bench was deliberately torturing them, minute hand motionless and still. Feliciano could only hear the pounding of his frightened heart in his ears, his own deep, rapid breathing, almost hyperventilating, as a member of the jury handed a slip of paper to the straight-faced judge.

Such a simple thing. A white square piece of paper with one simple word scrawled onto the centre. It seemed like such an inconsequential act; the handing over of the verdict. Yet the decisive event would have such an impact on the young man's life, guilty or innocent; that was the question. Would this panel of absolute nobody's sympathise for the Italian? Did they believe his story of innocence? There was no more hoping now. A decision was made, and the old man behind the bench was clearing his throat, bringing the slip of paper closer to his spectacled face to read the verdict.

"Feliciano Vargas." the judge said suddenly into the microphone sat on his bench. His voiced echoed loudly throughout the room, and everyone in the stands seemed to tense; the Italian in the dock at the front of the courtroom was on the brink of a panic attack. His rapid breathing halted on a sharp inhale as he awaited his fate. "A verdict has been reached." he continued, slowly placing the paper down on the bench. "In light of the outstanding DNA evidence against you, coupled with the lack of witnesses and evidence to prove your innocence...the jury has ruled that you are in fact guilty of the life-threatening physical assault on Mr Kiku Honda-"

"WHAT!" it was the accused's sibling who had spoken, jumping up from the stands in a blind rage. "That is BULLSHIT!"

"Mr Vargas." the judge spoke harshly, tapping the gavel on the bench. "I will have order in my courtroom."

"My little brother is INNOCENT!" Romano roared, having to be held firmly onto by his boyfriend as he threatened to have a violent reaction.

"Mr Vargas!" the old man yelled, hammering loudly on the bench. "If you do not settle down I will have you removed from this courtroom."

The Italian in the dock couldn't even hear the commotion going on around him. From the moment the word 'guilty' had left the judges lips his heart had sunk like the heaviest stone to the very pit of his stomach. He couldn't even tell if he was breathing or not. It was like he was stuck in the most horrific of realistic nightmares; the months leading up to this court date he'd played out this exact scenario over and over again in his fragile mind...never in his life could he have pictured feeling like this. Body going numb, senses drifting away from him. His older brother continued to scream in the courtroom but it merely sounded like distant echo to him.

Another bang of the gavel suddenly brought him back; Antonio having managed to restrain Romano; the judge was ready to give the sentence. "Feliciano Vargas, this court hereby sentences you to two years in the federal prison for your crime; this sentenced is to be served consecutively and is to commence immediately." he banged the gavel again, sealing the Italian's fate.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT! MY BROTHER IS INNOCENT DO YOU HEAR ME? INNOCENT!" Romano raged; the Spaniard having immense trouble holding onto his boyfriend.

"Lovi please calm down..." Antonio begged, his own mind yet not come to terms with the verdict.

Two prison guards were already making their way to the dock to collect the shaking Italian, taking an arm each they gently escorted him into a room at the front of the court. Feliciano went silently, shoulders trembling beneath the two guards and his hands knotted together with the confinement of the handcuffs he was wearing. His clouded mind still hadn't comprehended what was going on. Was...was he really being taken to prison? For a crime he didn't commit! The last months had gone by so quickly, as if in a dream, but this was actually happening. Feliciano was taken to an empty room; a white prisoner transport vehicle waiting for him just outside.

The prison guards carefully let go of him, one of them holding open the door as the Italian's brother and his partner burst in after him, escorted by a police officer. "Fratello..." Romano ran at Feliciano, flinging his arms around him, holding tight.

Feliciano bit his lip, struggling to cuddle his brother back with the restricted arm movement. "...Lovino."

Antonio held back his tears, wrapping his arms around the both of them. "It'll be okay..." he whispered against the top of their heads.

"I swear..." Romano pulled back slightly, looking at his brother straight in the eyes, tears in his own. "I'll fight for you Feliciano; I'll prove to them that you're innocent and I'll get you out of prison!"

Feliciano nodded slowly, strangely emotionless by the whole situation, body too numb at that moment to feel. "...grazie." he spoke in a small voice; it was all he could manage.

Antonio wiped his eyes, kissing the top of Feliciano's head. "Be safe little guy, be strong..."

"Don't do anything stupid eh?" Romano tried to joke but his quivering lip and shaky voice made the words more sincere than he'd have liked. "Feliciano..." he cried, burrowing into his brother's chest, clinging tightly to the front of his shirt. Feliciano bit his lip, shaking arms holding as much of his brother as he could.

The two of them embraced for at least a full minute before one of the prison guards spoke up. "Okay come on dude it's time to go." the blond said in his strong American accent, unlocking and pushing open the back door to the secure car park.

Romano wouldn't release his brother even as the second guard grabbed Feliciano's shoulder and tried to manoeuvre him out of the Italian's grasp. "Mr Vargas, you've finished saying goodbye your brother needs to come with us now." he said gently in his comforting English accent.

Antonio slid his arms around his partner, gently unlatching him from Feliciano. "Lovi...don't make this harder than it already is."

To his surprise the Italian in his arms didn't protest; he just watched his younger brother being escorted away as tears rolled silently down his face. Feliciano looked back over his shoulder at his family and for the first time since this entire ordeal had occurred; the Spaniard could see the crippling fear in the Italian's eyes as he disappeared from view, the heavy metal door slamming shut behind him.

**~0~**

"Okay here are you threads, get changed into them here and place all of your clothing and anything you have with you onto the table." the American guard said as he pushed a folded up orange prison jump suit into the shaking Italian's hands which had since been un-cuffed. "That's the smallest size we have so it better fit, you're kinda small."

"Comforting as always Alfred." The Brit droned, shifting through a file. "Feliciano Vargas..." he muttered softly, glancing up at the Italian for confirmation, who hadn't moved a muscle. "...you know the clothing is mandatory." he nodded to the jumpsuit in the young man's hands that he had yet to put on.

Feliciano nodded hurriedly, letting the jumpsuit fall from his arms so he could shakingly remove his street clothes. The two prison guards that had escorted him from the courtroom to the prison were a Brit and an American, they had yet to fully introduce themselves to him. The drive over had been deeply unsettling; Feliciano sat all alone, secured in handcuffs in the back of a large white van whilst the guards chatted quietly together in the front. Even through the long ride over the Italian still hadn't come to terms with his emotions. He was a bundle of nerves about his predicament, but realisation had yet to take its toll.

Feliciano finally finished dressing himself into the cold, stiff jumpsuit, fiddling anxiously with the sleeves that were just the tiniest bit too long for him. He placed his street clothes carefully on top of the table where the American slid them over to him, carefully checking all of the pockets on his clothing. "Sure you've not got anything else on you dude?" he asked as he carefully pushed the clothes into a clear plastic bag.

The Italian shook his head, holding up his trembling arms as the Brit went to re-cuff him. The blond tried to give the young man the warmest smile he could, carefully securing the cuffs around his wrists. "By the way; I'm Officer Arthur Kirkland, and this is Officer Alfred Jones." he said, nodding to the American who was fastening some paperwork to the Italian's belongings.

Feliciano nodded slowly, feeling even more uneasy in the prison attire. "...what, what happens now?" he asked softly, knotting his fingers together anxiously.

"Now we've gotta take you to meet one of the prison physicians and get a health check." Alfred said, taking the Italian's things with them he and the Brit led Feliciano out of the changing room into a corridor. There was an office at the end of the narrow corridor beside a large, secure metal door, which the Italian could only assume led to the main prison blocks where the inmates were kept.

However first Feliciano was taken to a small doctor's office; one of the rooms in this long corridor. There was no door to this particular room, just an archway with nothing to cover the entrance. The Italian gingerly stepped into the office; the room was clean and tidy and strikingly white. A young woman in a white apron was busying herself on the desk with some papers; she had long wavy brunette locks that adorned a pale yellow bandana around her head. She turned to face the Italian when she heard him come in and smiled kindly. "Hi sweetie I'm Elizaveta, would you like to take a seat up here?" she asked in her Hungarian accent, indicating to the narrow bed covered in a sheet of paper.

Feliciano slowly turned around, climbing up onto the bed; he had to give it several attempts to jump up as his shaking arms wouldn't support even his small body weight. Once he was up he perched himself on the very edge; Elizaveta collected together some paperwork, scanning through it. "Okay, Feliciano Vargas?" the Italian nodded. "What a cute name...okay honey just to let you know I'm the prison physician for block D, so I'll be dealing with any injuries or illness you encounter in your time here." she said, smiling softly. "So don't be afraid to let any of the guards know if you feel like you need to see me okay?"

Feliciano nodded slowly, fiddling with the chains around his wrists. "...I'm surprised they let such a pretty lady work in a place like this..." he mumbled softly, his chest suddenly starting to ache.

Elizaveta smiled, giggling slightly. "Oh well thank you honey you just made my day!" she said cheerily, beaming at him. "Don't worry about little old me I'm quite safe, that's why we're not allowed to have a door, just in case, and there's always a couple of handsome fellows outside to keep an eye on things." she nodded towards the empty doorframe that led back out into the corridor; the American and British guard were stood just outside on either side. Elizaveta shrugged slightly, smiling at the young man. "Just in case you try anything; there'll be in here in a flash to protect me, but don't worry I know you wouldn't." she said, giggling slightly.

Feliciano forced a tiny smile, not quite able to look at the Hungarian as she went back to the paperwork. "Okay I just have to ask you a few questions about your medical health is that alright?" the Italian gave a feeble nod. "Okay, now do you or have you ever had any form of diabetes?" Feliciano shook his head. "Alright..." Elizaveta took the pen from the side of the clipboard, ticking off the questions. "Any allergies?" another shake of the head. "Do you require any ongoing medical treatment?" again he shook his head. "Are you a carrier of any diseases or viruses?"

"...not that I know of." Feliciano said softly, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

Elizaveta nodded, carrying on filling out the form. "Okay, now do you know your blood type sweetie?" Feliciano was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Well in that case I'll need to take a blood sample so we can find out okay?" she placed the clipboard down, going into a drawer for a needle and syringe.

Feliciano just nodded numbly. "...why do you need to know that?" he asked shakily.

"It's just a formality, it's unlikely you'll need any kind of blood transfusion whilst you're here but it's just in case you ever do, we can inform the hospital of your blood type or I can perform the transfusion myself if needs be." she said simply, sterilising the needle carefully before approaching the Italian. "Okay can you lift your sleeve for me honey?" she asked.

With a shaking hand Feliciano slowly shifted the orange sleeve of his prison jumpsuit up as far as it would go so the physician could take a sample of blood. The needle was pushed into his arm and a small amount of blood was extracted before it was carefully removed again. Only at that moment did Feliciano fully come to terms with what was going on. He'd been fixed in this numb, emotionless state for months and all of a sudden, in that instant, it was over.

Maybe it was because when that sharp needle pierced through his skin it had broken through the walls the Italian had built up around himself. He was slowly coming back to earth, every sense was heightened and his crumbling emotions bubbled to the surface. Elizaveta took the needle full of blood to a counter and when her back was turned Feliciano broke down; for the first time since he was arrested and charged with the assault the Italian started to cry.

It was miniscule enough to start with, but after that first tear rolled down his face more and more followed until he was sat sobbing on the narrow bed. Elizaveta looked alarmed, spinning around when she heard the soft whimpers coming from the young man. "Oh sweetie, what's wrong?" she went to him immediately with concern, getting him a box of tissues from beside the bed. "It didn't hurt that much did it? Would you like me to get you something to put over it?" she asked, carefully inspecting the tiny dot on the Italian's arm where there was just the tiniest spec of blood.

Feliciano shook his head, letting out another sob as he scrubbed at his eyes. "I-It's not that, it's just..." he whimpered softly, tears pouring down his face. "I-I shouldn't be here! I...I want to go h-home!" he sobbed, burrowing his head into his hands.

Elizaveta bit her lip, her caring nature getting the better of her. "Oh sweetie come here..." the Hungarian held out her arms, letting the young man collapse into her to cry on her shoulder. Elizaveta was aware that she was going against what regulations told her to do. During her training for the position at the prison she'd been told countless times by her mentor to act cold and inhospitable towards the inmates at all times as criminals didn't deserve kindness. But with this frightened young man sobbing right in front of her it broke down any restraint, and she had to comfort him, regardless of what she was taught.

"Is everything alright in there?" Arthur asked from the doorway.

Elizaveta smiled sadly at him. "Yes everything's fine, just a little upset..." she cuddled Italy for a couple of minutes until he'd calmed down; she handed him a tissue when he finally pulled away. "...you poor little thing, are you okay now?"

Feliciano dabbed at his eyes with the tissue, sniffling slightly. "...sì, grazie." he mumbled softly, bunching the tissue up in his hands.

Elizaveta gently patted his arm, helping him down from the bed. "I think I can get the rest of this paperwork filled in, so you go and follow Alfred and Arthur now okay and they'll get you settled in." she said gently, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "If you ever feel unwell just let them know and you can come and see me okay sweetie?"

Feliciano nodded, feeling incredibly uneasy as Elizaveta let go of his hand, gently manoeuvring him towards the exit. He just wanted to grab onto her and never let go; she may only have been a stranger, but the sweet Hungarian was a much needed caring support at this difficult time. "Thank you Elizaveta." he said softly, still dabbing at his eyes as he was led away by the American prison guard.

Arthur lingered behind as Elizaveta stepped out into the corridor. "'You'll keep an eye on him for me, won't you Arthur?" she said, watching the young man shuffle anxiously down at the corridor after Alfred.

Arthur quirked a bushy brow. "I'll keep an eye on him as much as I do for any of the inmates."

"Oh Arthur you know he's innocent." Elizaveta said quietly, watching Feliciano with sadness.

"Do I?"

It was Elizaveta's turn to raise an eyebrow as she looked at the Brit. "Arthur you and I can both tell when somebody's been wrongly convicted, just look at the poor boy..."

Arthur cast a glance down to the end of the corridor where Alfred was conversing with the man in the office, handing him the Italian's belongings and paperwork. Feliciano himself was stood just behind, his body trembling ever so slightly as his eyes shifted around nervously, still damp from tears. The Brit gave a defeated sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "Okay, I'll look out for him...a kid like that is going to need all the help he can get..." he muttered, hurrying to catch up with the two of them.

"Are you okay Feliciano?" the Brit asked when he reached them, placing a tentative hand on the Italian's shoulder.

Before the young man could answer the American at the office suddenly spoke up. "Oh shit." he said as he stared at the admittance paper he'd just been handed.

"What is it Alfred?" Arthur asked.

Alfred pulled an awkward face, shaking his head. "Damn...look who they've put him with." he held the sheet up for the Brit to see.

Feliciano could have sworn the Brit just paled. "Oh God...Alfred, we can't do that, he's just a kid..." he cast a worried glance at the Italian which made him extremely nervous.

Alfred tapped on the glass screen, attracting the attention of the officer in the office. "Dude are you serious? Have you seen this Feliciano guy? He's not gonna survive with him!"

"W-What is it?" Feliciano asked quietly, anxiety rapidly increasing.

The man in office simply shrugged and said it was final. Alfred sighed, turning back to them. "Sorry dude, we're full up at it is, gotta use any space we have left."

"Couldn't we transfer him to another block?" Arthur suggested.

Alfred shook his head. "Dude that takes forever."

"Well we'll most likely have to do that eventually anyway, if you remember Alfred we've had to transfer the last three guys out of his cell for their own protection."

"W-What's going on?" Feliciano squeaked, cuffs jingling softly as his hands shook.

Arthur tried to mask his concern, sighing deeply. "It's your cellmate, I mean...the guy they've put you with." he said, folding up the admission paper.

Feliciano swallowed slightly, hands knotting together. "...what about him?"

Arthur bit his lip, struggling with his answer. "Let's just say he's...he's not the nicest guy in the world."

Alfred gave a harsh laugh. "Don't sugar coat it Arthur; I mean for God sake he _killed _one of his cellmates!"

"Alfred." Arthur barked firmly when the Italian gave a yelp of terror. "That man committed suicide, murder was never proven."

"Right whatever, take his side like you always do." Alfred muttered, getting out his large set of keys. "Anyway come on, better get it over with."

"...get what over with?" Feliciano asked softly to the Brit as Alfred went to undo the many locks on the large metal door.

"The introduction, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you and make sure he doesn't try anything." Arthur said reassuringly, patting the Italian briefly on the shoulder as they watched the American heave open the heavy door, holding it open for them.

Feliciano slowly stepped into the confinement; the door shut behind them, shuddering as it held firmly closed, taking away his freedom. There were two stories of jail cells on either side of the narrow space, jammed together in this stone encased building. A clunky metal staircase stood in the middle to give access to the top floor of this particular block of cells but Feliciano was led past it, staying put on the bottom level.

Tall, narrow metal jail bars surrounded them, and in each and every cell there were two pairs of menacing eyes that were staring out at the Italian. Never in his life had Feliciano been more ashamed of his physique than at that moment. Skinny and frail, not an ounce of muscle on him; he could already feel the other large, burly inmates coming to the conclusion that he was easy pickings. It was broad daylight outside yet the prison was only dimly lit; a few barred windows ran up the walls, letting in very little sunlight, they cast ghastly split shadows on the stone floor.

Feliciano kept close to Arthur's side as he was eventually led all the way down to the other end of the block, to the last cell. Alfred banged loudly on the bars with his nightstick to grab the attention of the man inside; he was lying down on the top bunk of a bunk bed. "Hey Ludwig, we've brought you a new cellmate."

The seemingly unresponsive man suddenly spoke up. "What?" he spat in a harsh sounding German accent, sitting bolt up right on the narrow bed.

Feliciano kept his head lowered, not wanting to see the face of this hateful man; his body trembling uncontrollably. "This is Feliciano Vargas; he's your new cellmate." America said again, getting out his keys to unlock the door.

"I thought I made it clear to you Arschlöcher that I did not want a verdammt cell mate!" the German snarled, intimidating glare fixed on the cowering Italian.

"And I thought I made it clear to you that that was too bad; this place is crowded enough as it is and we have to make use of all the space." Alfred told him calmly, tugging open the cell door.

Arthur gave the Italian a reassuring pat on the back before un-cuffing his wrists. "Well Feliciano...this is Ludwig..."

Feliciano shook his head frantically as the guards gently pushed him into the jail cell, closing the bars behind him. In an instant Ludwig jumped down from the bunk bed and surged towards him. The Italian squealed in alarm, backing up into the bars as the strikingly tall, petrifying blond German man approached, trapping him against the cell bars. Feliciano immediately began to wail apologies for no reason, fearful tears spilling from his eyes.

"Ludwig leave the poor kid alone!" Arthur snapped, banging on the cell bars.

Feliciano sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut as he waited for whatever harsh physical abuse was to come. Ludwig just stared at him, nose wrinkling in confusion. Never in his life had he been able to intimidate someone so easily without even saying a word. He sighed irritably, taking a step back. "Forget it; I can't even be bothered doing anything to someone as pathetic as you." he growled. Feliciano slowly opened his eyes, still shaking with fear. The German suddenly leant in close, dark eyes fixed on the Italian's own. "You are going to be eaten alive in here, kid." he said slowly before taking a step back, climbing up onto his bed without another word.

Feliciano was close to hyperventilating, still stood shaking against the cell bars, knees trembling. Alfred and Arthur made sure the Italian didn't seem to be in any danger before they left. Even though the German had retreated back to his bed the Italian felt immensely unsafe with the guards no longer here to protect him from harm. Feliciano hesitated unsurely by the metal bars, his heart hammering nervously as he could feel the enraged presence of the blond German man in the confined space. He was like an unpredictable carnivore ready to pounce any second on the trembling little Italian, who still hadn't moved an inch.

The young man's uneasiness must have become too much for the German because he suddenly sat up, shooting daggers at the brunette. "Are you just going to stand there you little Scheiße?" he growled.

Feliciano swallowed heavily, fidgeting under the blonds' dark glare. "U-Umm, uhh...n-no...I um..." he stuttered anxiously, feet twitching to move but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing. "...w-what should...I m-mean I don't-"

"Just SIT DOWN!" Ludwig barked suddenly. Feliciano squeaked, hurriedly scrambling into one of the two chairs sat at the small square table in the centre of the cell. The German gave him a disgruntled look, lowering himself back down onto his bunk which gave a slow creak.

Feliciano sat ridged on the chair, hands tightly grasping his knees to stop them from quivering. It had been barely five minutes and this German man already hated his guts; he understood now the reasons for the guard's reactions when they discovered it was him he was to share a cell with. As the Italian sat silently at the table, terrified gaze watching the German closely; he could only hope that his brother was out there somewhere working on a way to get him the hell out of here.

* * *

**I should really stop starting new stories but damnit I love it**

**Fratello - Brother**  
**Arschlöcher - Arsehole**  
**Verdammt - Fucking**  
**Scheiße - Shit**

**Ehhh I really hope this doesn't end up being a comedy, I want to write something serious for a change**

**Reviews are love :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Feliciano meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

A loud high pitched screech woke the sleeping Italian with a start that early morning, leaving him trembling in his narrow bed. For just a few moments, he had absolutely no idea where he was. He was lying on his side, staring at a stone wall just inches away from his face, the tiniest glow of daylight from somewhere making his surroundings just visible. Feliciano blinked slowly, heartbeat returning to a normal pace as it all came back, and he remembered where he was.

The noise that had woke him turned out to be all the cells in this block simultaneously sliding open, making a horribly loud noise as the electric powered bars scraped across the floor. Curiously enough, as the Italian slowly rolled over to discover, his own cell seemed to be the only one with the door not wide open, still held firmly closed.

Feliciano couldn't help but let out a silent yelp of terror as the bunk bed shifted; the muscular blond German jumped down from the top bunk, stretching his arms out in front of him. The Italian's hands kept a tight grip on the thin sheets as he tried desperately not to look at the German, yet he didn't want to close his eyes, just in case.

He only moved when he saw two familiar faces suddenly appear outside their cell, the two prison guards from yesterday, in their brown uniforms and black shoes, who Feliciano hadn't seen since they'd shoved him in here the day before.

Ludwig was waiting impatiently by door as the American guard fumbled with the keys to get it open. "Morning Ludwig, hey your cell mate is still alive." he said, noting the shivering Italian in the bottom bunk. "Good on you man!"

The German just rolled his eyes, grunting disapprovingly as he stalked out of the cell, following the rest of the inmates who had already filed out of their own. The English guard held open the door, smiling kindly at the Italian. "Good morning Feliciano, how was your first night?"

Feliciano slowly slid off the narrow bed, legs trembling slightly as he stood. His back ached a tad from the terribly uncomfortable bed -could he even call that a mattress?- as he shuffled over to the two guards. "...it was okay..."

"Ludwig didn't give you any trouble did he?"

The Italian slowly shook his head. "...no he, he didn't really say anything..." he muttered softly, thinking back to yesterday. After sitting frozen ridged on the chair for what had to have been at least an hour; the German had finally stopped his insistent scowling at the ceiling from his bed and had fallen asleep. Another half an hour or so of watching him, the Italian finally built up the courage to move nearer so he could crawl onto the bottom bunk. He'd then spent an uncomfortable cold night trying to sleep, which wasn't easy when each shift in the German's movements above him made the bed shudder, sending a jolt of fear through the Italian's chest.

"Huh? That's kinda weird, would have thought he'd have beaten you up a bit at least like he normally does." the American guard said, relocking the cell once the Italian had stepped out.

"Alfred." the Brit warned firmly, glaring at him. He tried to give the Italian a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry about yesterday by the way; I was going to come back after an hour or so to show you around but I got sidetracked by some paperwork, but Alfred and I will show you where you need to go in the mornings okay?"

Feliciano nodded slowly, feeling more at ease as he followed the path the rest on the inmates had taken with the two guards either side of him for protection. There was a tall wooden door that stood in a gap where another cell should have been, opposite the Italian's cell near the back of the block. The Italian was the last to go through, where he rejoined the other inmates waiting to be let through another door.

Alfred left the Italian's side to go and let them in, and Feliciano immediately moved closer to Arthur's side. There must have been nearly one hundred inmates crammed into this tiny space, and Ludwig was easy enough to spot among the crowds. He was not the tallest, he was not the strongest looking, and he was not heavily tattooed, yet the blond stood out from all the other inmates. Even the biggest, burliest men were taking deliberate steps to avoid the German; they all tried to look unaffected by his presence, most of them ignoring him, but every time Ludwig so much as moved the sea of inmates surrounding him parted even wider to get out of his way.

A couple of skinheads started jostling each other in an aggressive way. One was almost flung into the German's space and he wobbled dangerously on his toes to avoid a collision with the blond. From where he was standing at the back; the Italian couldn't see the German's face as he slowly turned his head to look at the man who'd almost bumped into him. But from the way the man's face paled and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed back his fear; the Italian could safely guess that the blond had fixed him with the most intimidating death glare. Beside him the Brit's hand was hovering over the handgun in his holster just in case things turned ugly.

Thankfully for the skinny inmate the American prison guard had just finished unlocking the heavy metal door they were all waiting to use, and pushed it wide open to allow them to surge forward and file inside. Ludwig didn't have to push or elbow his way past to get through the narrow door; a big gap briefly opened up in the congregation of inmates, allowing him to breeze through the door with ease before a noisy, boisterous gang of inmates followed after.

Feliciano dithered back behind with the Brit until they were the last in the room before he followed them out. He'd been led to a room which reminded him a lot of his old high school cafeteria. Long rows of tables filled the wide space, low benches crammed against them for the inmates to sit on. Just to the side of him was a serving station where three burly looking women were serving up food, they looked just as manly as some of the inmates, hairier too.

"Okay so this is the cafeteria." Arthur said, waving a hand to show him. Several other similar doors were situated at the other ends of the room, which the Italian assumed led to other blocks of cells in the prison as there was a large increase in the amount of people in the cafeteria compared to how many had been stood with him just before. "It's where you eat with the other inmates." the Brit said; a lot of the tables were already crammed with inmates tucking into their food. "Every morning you come in here at seven o clock for breakfast; yours and Ludwig's cell has to be unlocked by us however, it's not automatic."

"...why's that?" Feliciano asked softly, fiddling with his orange sleeves.

The American shrugged as he closed the door again. "It's one of the old cells that was never updated...also it just feels kinda, safer...to keep Ludwig in there."

Feliciano nodded, trying to look casual but his insides were churning. Arthur gave a brief wave to a few other prison guards who were stood by the doors adjacent. "By the way, Alfred and I are prison guards for your block, Feliciano, block D. So I'd come to us if you have any problems, we guards tend to stick to our own block inmates rather than get involved with any of the others."

The Italian nodded again, trying not to squirm under the watchful eyes of some of the inmates. Some giving occasional glances, other were downright staring at him, eyelids unblinking. It was enough to make him shudder.

"Okay dude so go grab a tray, get a bite to eat and we'll show you the rest of this place later." Alfred said, giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

But the Italian stayed firmly rooted to the ground. It was a simple instruction, but that's not what was keeping him from proceeding. There were plenty of empty spaces at the tables...but where was he supposed to sit? Feliciano had asked himself this same question on his first day at school, yet somehow he felt that the answer this time would be a lot more important and relevant to his survival here. The Italian bit his lip, looking at the Brit for help. "...um, where should I...I mean who should I sit with?" he asked quietly as to not be heard by any of the inmates sat close by.

Arthur quirked an eyebrow at the Italian. "You want some advise?"

Feliciano nodded quickly. "Please."

"Get with a gang." the Brit said simply.

He looked confused, weren't gangs supposed to be a bad thing? "...really?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. No offence, but you're not strong enough to make it solo here, not like Ludwig...your best hope really is to stick with a gang."

The Italian let his eyes wander across the long tables full of intimidating, muscular men, many with tattoos and scars. "Um...what if I just...stuck with Ludwig?" he suggested softly, looking for the blond. He spotted him easily enough, right at the back of the room; the German had an entire table to himself, not a single inmate even dared to perch on the very edge of his bench or the one opposite him on the other side of the table. Even as the noisy cafeteria was rapidly filling up and seats were being filled, no one made a move to join Ludwig.

Arthur looked at him sceptically. "Do you honestly want to?"

The American snorted slightly. "Dude you can try, good luck."

"How about Italian mobsters?" the Brit suggested, trying to ignore the horrified look Feliciano just gave him. "I know it's not ideal, but you're Italian so maybe they'll accept you."

Feliciano nodded slowly; there was an awkward silence for a moment as the two guards started their morning routine of keeping an eye out for trouble. The Italian had yet to make a move, but knew he couldn't stand pathetically next to the prison guards forever. He eventually shuffled over to the serving station, picking up a grey food tray. The last one to get his breakfast, there didn't seem to be a lot left. One of the burly women behind the counter handed him a bowl a cereal, an orange and a small plastic cup of coffee. He mumbled his thanks before turning around to make his dreaded decision. Where to sit.

If he'd thought this was tough in high school, that was nothing compared to now. All eyes seemed to be on the Italian as he shuffled anxiously from toe to toe, holding onto his tray. He scanned his eyes about the room, trying to find the more friendly looking of the inmates...there didn't seem to be any. Feliciano was by far the smallest, skinniest person here, and no doubt the only person who definitely didn't belong in a place like this.

His gaze fell on the German again, silently tucking into his breakfast on the table all to himself. He terrified the Italian, but it's not as if he'd actually physically hurt him in any way...yet, but sitting with him in complete silence would surely be better than attempting to meet anyone else? At least he knew who the German was. So with familiarity to calm his nerves (or so he tried to convince himself) Feliciano's quivering legs managed to make their way over to him.

Feliciano could have sworn he heard people whispering as he approached Ludwig, wondering whether he was trying to get himself killed. Trying desperately to ignore these warnings; the Italian stopped just a foot away from the German's table, biting his lip slightly. He'd hoped the blond would offer him a seat, but of course he didn't. Ludwig seemed to not even have registered the Italian was stood there.

Feliciano had to make several attempts to speak before he found his voice. "Um...scusi, Ludwig?" the German said nothing. "Could...could I maybe...sit here...maybe..." the Italian trailed off into a whisper. Ludwig merely continued to eat, not offering any kind of response. Feliciano bit his lip, surely he could just perch here quietly and everything would be okay? With shaking legs he moved steadily closer, ready to climb over the bench to take a seat.

A sudden crash made the Italian jump out of his skin. Ludwig had swiftly hooked his leg up over the bench opposite him and kicked it to the ground, letting Feliciano know exactly what the German thought about his attempt to sit with him. The blond slowly raised his head, piercing blue eyes fixed darkly on the Italian's own. Feliciano took a hesitant step back, tray held tight against his chest, his heart thundering under his jumpsuit.

"S-Sorry." Feliciano gabbed quickly, fleeing from the scene before the German's stare threatened to burn him to a crisp on the spot. Maybe he would take Arthur's advise.

Quickly able to locate the Italian speaking inmates he tried to look confident as he approached them, even though he was very aware that everyone had just seen what Ludwig had done. He stopped right in front of them, attempting a smile. "Ciao, I'm Feliciano."

Feliciano's bright hello was greeted with a wave of silence. Several large, tanned Italian inmates abruptly halted their conversation to turn and stare up at him. Feliciano sensed that they weren't perhaps being quiet out of intimidation, but rather they were silenced by the shock of someone having the audacity to speak to them at all, especially in that cheerful manner. Each one had a strikingly similar large black ink tattoo across their neck, clearly a mark of their gang.

As the moments passed Feliciano felt more and more uncomfortable. Deciding perhaps it would be easier to eat standing up by Arthur and Alfred, he turned to awkwardly walk away. One of the mobsters clearly wasn't above humiliating the poor boy. Just as Feliciano was about to step past, one of the bigger Italian's stuck out a tree trunk of a leg, tripping him up and sending him crashing to the floor.

Feliciano couldn't stop the high pitched yell that escaped him as he fell, the food on his tray smashing and spilling across the stone floor. The room burst into hysterical laughter as the other inmates jeered and mocked the Italian as he scrambled to get to his feet, looking helplessly at the tray he'd just dropped.

Feliciano swallowed hard, trying not to let the fall effect him. Arthur quickly made his way over, telling him that maybe this was a good time to show him some of the other places in the prison. The Italian nodded numbly as he was led out. He dared a glance over at Ludwig and found that he too was watching him. But he wasn't laughing or jeering, he just rolled his eyes in disgruntled fashion, going back to his breakfast.

**~0~**

"Listen here bastard." Romano snarled, banging his fist down on the desk of the parole officer. "I'm not leaving until you review my brother's case!"

The man behind the desk sighed, skimming a hand through his balding hair. "Mr Vargas I am a very important man, and the fact that you would have the nerve to burst into my office-"

"MY BROTHER IS INNOCENT!" Romano bellowed, echoing the words he'd screamed during the trial. Behind him his partner Antonio was attempting to calm him, trying to coax him into sitting back down.

The parole office merely stared him down. "Mr Vargas your brother was sentenced barely twenty-four hours ago...you can't honestly expect us to offer him up for parole anytime soon."

"But he's completely innocent!" Romano insisted, allowing himself to be pulled back into his seat opposite the man's desk. "Were you not even listening to his case?"

The man sighed. "The evidence against your brother was monumental."

"That's BULLSHIT evidence!" Romano snarled, jumping straight onto his feet again. "You didn't even get a testimony from the goddamn victim!"

"Mr Honda was unable to make a statement." he said calmly.

"Then the trial should have been pushed back!" Romano yelled. "You should have waited until he could make a goddamn statement before starting the trail!"

"Mr Vargas the trail was pushed back as far as we were legally obligated to do so." the parole office said, shuffling through some papers on his desk. "Mr Honda is currently in a coma from the assault and the report we received from the hospital stated that he is very unlikely to ever recover...we had no choice but to proceed."

"But you didn't even listen to his story!" Romano hissed, having to be held back by Antonio for his own good. "Were you not even there? Did you not hear what happened?"

"Mr Vargas-"

"HE WAS TRYING TO HELP HIM!" the Italian bellowed, arms shaking under the Spaniard's grip. "He found the poor guy beaten to within an inch of his life and he tried to help him! He called the ambulance! Feliciano got the guy's blood on him when he was seeing if he was okay! But that DOESN'T MEAN HE WAS THE ONE WHO DID IT YOU IDIOT!" he screeched, face going fiery red with rage. "He's innocent! His story checks out!"

The parole office waited until Romano had taken a few deep breaths and calmed down before he spoke. He raised a hand and slowly removed his glasses, giving them a wipe on the edge of his shirt. "But Mr Vargas, if you think about it..." he said calmly, slowly replacing his specs. "...that sounds like the kind of story a guilty man would make up in order to plea innocence…am I right?"

Antonio quickly mumbled an apology for wasting his time before he hurriedly ushered his partner out of the office before he threatened to commit an assault of his own. The Spaniard took one look at the Italian's bright red face, waiting for the angry yelling and obnoxious complaining that was to come. Instead Romano did something he didn't expect, he broke down suddenly into tears, collapsing into the Spaniard's chest. "A-Antonio..."

"Lovi..." Antonio soothed gently, pulling him to a tight, comforting hug. "It'll be okay..."

"No it won't! It'll never be okay! Feliciano...he can't survive in prison!" Romano howled, tears soaking into his boyfriend's chest. "H-He's going to get himself killed!"

"Don't say that!" the Spaniard said firmly. "You can't think like that Lovi..."

Romano sniffed, slowly pulling back. "How can they think a sweet kid like him could do something like that?" he asked miserably. "I-I need to see him..."

"I've checked the visiting days." the Spaniard muttered softly, gently dabbing at his eyes. "The earliest we can see him is two weeks from today."

"Two weeks?" Romano hissed in annoyance. "That is bullshit! They can't just keep me from my brother like this..." he tried to stay angry but his hurt, worried eyes betrayed him. His bottom lip quivering he burrowed back into his partner, tears falling down his face once more.

Antonio sighed softly, cuddling him close. "I know, it seems so unfair..." he said softly, kissing the top of his head. "Let's get back to the cafe, we'll get some warm drinks and try and to think of another way to help Feliciano, okay?"

Romano nodded against Spain's chest, linking their fingers together. "Alright..."

The Spaniard smiled sadly as they slowly left together. "He'll be okay Lovi, I'm sure of it."

* * *

**Scusi - Excuse me**

**Nuuu I feel so bad for lil Italy :(**

**Reviews are love :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Feliciano meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

In the last hour Feliciano Vargas had been shown and presented all four corners of the prison, from the kitchens to the chapel, the visiting centre to the shower room. The Italian was having immense trouble taking it all in, and even found himself zoning out as the British prison guard presented and explained all the various rooms. He was still shaken up from his fall in the cafeteria, not so much from pain, although his knees did throb a bit, but more from the humiliation and the general shock of being tripped in the first place. And Ludwig, just staring at him with those piercing blue eyes, looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and disgust...it was enough to make the Italian's stomach churn.

The last place Alfred and Arthur took the Italian was the prison courtyard; the only place where the inmates had the slightest taste of freedom. That only being if you could ignore the towering thirty foot fence that surrounded the deserted clearing, razor sharp barbed wire wound all around the top, glinting dangerously in the sun that blared down over them. It was a large wide open space at the back of the prison, mainly covered in tarmac but with a few patches of vegetation.

A basketball court stood towards the back of the yard, and a pile of weights and work out equipment took up a small section by the entrance to the courtyard that made up a gym. There was just one tree, a rather tall yet leafless oak stood almost exactly in the centre, bursting through a small patch of grass otherwise surround by black tarmac. A few benches with tables were also dotted around for inmates to sit on, yet they were firmly rooted down into the ground, to ensure that they weren't going anywhere, or used as a weapon.

By the time Feliciano was shown the courtyard, the inmates had been done with breakfast for almost an hour, and most of them were outside. A violent game of basketball was commencing between two rival gangs at the end of the courtyard, less a game more a string of punches and attacking between the two teams with the occasional bounce of a basketball. Several more prison guards were outside, stood in various spots around the yard to keep everything in order. The larger inmates were all congregated by the work out equipment, lifting heavy weights and doing reps. Others were merely standing around in their gangs, talking quietly amongst themselves whilst occasionally shooting dirty looks towards other inmates, and then going back to discussing their plans.

Ludwig, once again, was the easiest to spot. He was stood by the only tree in the courtyard, leant back against the sturdy trunk with his arms folded across his chest; his eyes were closed yet there was that nasty grimace ever present on his face. Not a single inmate was within ten feet of the German, they all kept a safe distance from him, and from the way they so naturally knew to avoid going near the tree it was clear to the Italian that this was something they were very used to doing.

"Okay dude so this is the last place to show you; this is the courtyard." the American prison guard said, presenting him the area less than enthusiastically.

"Inmates can't come out whenever they want however." Arthur said from the Italian's other side. "They can stay out here until lunch, then most days this place is closed off until the next day, and they can either go back to their cells or go about their other activities."

"...like what?" Feliciano asked softly, wanting to keep the conversation going and delay the prospect of being abandoned here.

"Well, some work." the Brit said. "In the kitchens or in the office doing small tasks."

"We also got some group help sessions set up here for addicts." Alfred informed him, looking at the Italian suspiciously. "...you got a problem with drugs dude?"

Before Feliciano could answer Arthur chipped in. "Of course he doesn't Alfred, did you even bother to read his file?" he asked with a roll of the eyes.

"Don't start on me dude, besides it might not have been in there."

"Even if it was you wouldn't have seen it, you never bother to read things through thoroughly enough."

Feliciano stood anxiously between the two guards as they continued to bicker; throughout the short amount of time he'd been here he'd already noticed how the two prison guards often argued like an old married couple about the most trivial things.

"Anyway." Alfred said firmly to get Arthur to stop answering back. "We put on sessions for inmates to hopefully get them off the drugs and alcohol when they get out of here."

"Yes, it never seems to work however..." Arthur muttered. "There are also a number of educational classes on here which you can sign up for if you like...but those are mainly for inmates with little or no education."

"...what does Ludwig do?" Feliciano asked quietly, gazing over at the blond; he had such dominance just by the way he was standing.

Arthur and Alfred exchanged a glance. "He doesn't really do anything." the American said with a shrug. "Just stays on his own all the time."

"Look, Feliciano..." Arthur said with a sigh, placing a hand on his shoulder; he couldn't help but have noticed the Italian's fascination with the German. "If I were you I wouldn't try to get close to Ludwig; I know it seems tempting that he'd offer you good protection but trust me, it's not going to happen."

Feliciano bit his lip. "...why not?"

"Because he doesn't want people getting close to him dude." Alfred said, almost with a laugh. "Can't you tell?"

"He prefers isolation, that's why he's always so pissed off when we try to give him a cellmate." Arthur said, watching the German. "...yet I think, although he'd never admit it, that he pities you a bit...maybe that's why he hasn't tried to hurt you."

"Don't mistake pity for friendship dude." Alfred warned him, giving him a pat of the back. "Just steer clear or him, it'll be better for you both."

The Italian nodded slowly; he felt the American and the Brit take a few steps back and his heart gave a frightened lurch as he realised they were leaving him. "Okay well we'll see you around Feliciano, keep out of trouble okay?" Arthur said gently, giving him a reassuringly smile before he and Alfred went off to break up fist fight that had just broken out between two of the block D inmates on the basketball court.

Feliciano stayed perfectly still, frozen to the spot just in the doorway leading from the prison to the open courtyard. Thankfully no body was staring at him this time, too busy with whatever it was they were doing to be concerned about the new inmate. It was just as bad, if not worse, than being in the cafeteria. What was he supposed to do? He was out here for the next couple of hours or so at least, and everywhere he looked he saw snarling, intimidating faces.

He thought perhaps the best course of action would be to do what Ludwig was doing, find somewhere to be by himself and hopefully avoid contact with anyone. That was going to prove to be difficult however, as the courtyard was very crowded and a few prison guards were already giving him strange looks as he hadn't yet moved from the doorway. All of the benches were taken up by inmates sat together conversing, he could see somewhere near the back one being used as a sort of stage for one inmate who was stood on top of the wooden table, addressing a large crowd of burly looking men whilst keeping a tight grasp on another inmate's arm. The Italian didn't even want to know what they were up to so tried to avoid watching.

However he couldn't stand in the dimly lit doorway forever. Very slowly the Italian edged himself outside onto the gravely tarmac, wincing slightly as the bright sun glared down at him from the cloudless sky. Beyond the intimidating, thick bared fence that encased them there was nothing but a deserted dirt road clearing, no sign on civilisation for miles. Feliciano carried on, taking the tiniest steps as he moved further into the sea of people, he suddenly found himself surrounded by orange jumpsuits. He cast his eyes over Ludwig once more but this time he steered well clear of him, there was no bench for him to knock over this time, but he was certain the German would have other ways of keeping the Italian the hell away from him.

Feliciano sighed, dithering awkwardly in no particular spot, just rotating slowly as he gazed around. Brutal people everywhere he looked, getting into fights and arguing violently amongst themselves. Some were more reserved and stuck to themselves like Ludwig, so surely the Italian could do the same without getting into trouble.

"Hi."

The Italian jumped violently as an unfamiliar voice sounded in very close proximity of him. He spun around and found himself face to face with one of the inmates. The man looked about forty and towered a good two feet over the Italian; he had large body builder arms with tattoos scrawled across them. The inmate had a tuft of dark hair and small fiery eyes; he was giving the Italian a rather menacing look. "H-Hello." Feliciano squeaked, taking a hesitant step back.

"What do they call you?" he grunted, eyes never leaving the younger man's frightened face.

The Italian swallowed slightly, it was perfectly valid question, but this man's size and general appearance was incredibly startling. "Um...I'm Feliciano..."

The man immediately recognised his accent. "You Italian?"

Feliciano nodded slowly. "...sì." he said quietly, still edging backwards.

He nodded, eyeing the Italian over; Feliciano didn't like the way he was being stared at, it reminded him a lot of a blood thirsty animal who'd just spotted a tasty victim. "Alright, come with me."

Before Feliciano knew what was happening the large inmate suddenly lunged forward, taking a sharp grasp of the Italian's forearm. He then proceeded to drag the young man away by the arm, and Feliciano could do nothing but let himself be forcefully pulled along, his struggles not even registering under the inmate's death hold of a grip. "W-What?" Feliciano gasped out, he didn't know what was going on; where on earth was the man taking him? He looked around wildly for Arthur and Alfred as his feet were dragged across the tarmac but he couldn't see them through the dense barrier of people.

His fear only grew when he saw what they were heading towards; the table he'd spotted earlier near the back of the courtyard where what looked like some kind of auction was taking place. A crowd of foul-mouthed inmates were waving packets of cigarettes and edible snacks at the man stood on the table, holding hostage a redheaded inmate who looked alarmingly to be in the same situation as Feliciano. As the Italian drew nearer the scrawny redheaded inmate (although not quite as scrawny as Feliciano) was flung down onto a large man in the crowd, in exchange for three packets of cigarettes and a chocolate bar.

Whatever Feliciano had been expecting, it certainly wasn't this. The man grasping his arm suddenly hoisted the small Italian onto the table with a grunt of, "Got another one." to the other equally large inmate already stood there waiting. The Italian didn't even have a second to make a break for it before both his arms were forced behind his back in a strong hold and he was thrust forward and presented to the crowd like a piece of meat. A sea of hungry, menacing eyes stared up at him. Feliciano's own flitted across the crowd with fear, his heart pounding with foreboding as he struggled in the inmate's tight grasp.

"Okay what are my bids for this one?" the man holding Feliciano called to the crowd in a gruff voice.

"Two packs." a black scruffy haired inmate called from the front, brandishing a couple of cigarette packets from his pocket.

"Are you fucking with me?" the burly inmate snarled, with one hand still keeping Feliciano in place he seized the Italian's cheeks, squishing them together. "This one's gorgeous." he said with a twisted smirk, eyes glinting. "Not going for anything less than four."

Feliciano felt physically sick, never in his life had the word gorgeous felt anything less like a compliment. When his face was released he began craning his neck, desperate to find any sign of Arthur and Alfred or even any of the other prison guards at this point, they'd surely put a stop to this!

The man kept a crushing grip on the Italian's wrists. "Who else?"

"Three packs and a candy bar."

"Four packs and two candy bars."

"What's this kid's status?" one inmate suddenly yelled from the back, halting the auction.

The man holding the hysterical Italian yanked him round to face him. "You a virgin?" he barked, crippling hands still restricting his movement.

Feliciano was quaking under his threatening glare, breaking out in a cold sweat, his heart drumming furiously beneath his jumpsuit as he stared at him with panic-stricken eyes. "W-Wha I-I uh...um..." he stuttered out in a trembling quiver.

"That's a yes then." the man sneered with harsh laugh; he addressed the crowd again. "Genuine virgin ass up for grabs here." he announced and Feliciano paled.

"He's also Italian, Rich." the man who'd caught Feliciano interjected from beside the table.

"A genuine _Italian _virgin." Richard clarified, putting emphasis on the word Italian as if this somehow sweetened the deal.

"Five packs."

"Five and a half."

The bidding war continued with the crowd of inmates yelling out their offers in turn. Feliciano continued to frantically search for prison guards but none were in sight; Richard kept a firm hold on the Italian's wrists. Feliciano twisted and turned desperately trying to pull away but his hands just wouldn't give. Richard smirked, holding on with little effort. "Feisty little thing isn't he?"

"Six packs." a large inmate with a skinhead called from the middle of the crowd, causing everyone else to dwindle down to quiet murmurs as no one made a counter bid.

Richard waited a few moments before he spoke. "Okay six packs of smokes for the Italian virgin going once..." Feliciano's heart was pounding, tremors of fear running down his spine. "Going twice..." this was it. He was actually being sold like a pig for slaughter; the inmate who had just bought him was slowly making his way towards the bench to claim his prize, an evil grin onto his twisted face. Feliciano gave one last attempt to run, desperately trying to wrench himself out of Richard's grasp, his chest heaving on the brink of hyperventilation, tears forming in his painstaking eyes as the man was getting steadily closer; Feliciano could feel himself being pushed forward, ready to be claimed. He dug his heels into the table but it was no use, this was actually happening, he was actually going to be taken and rap-

"Six packets of cigarettes und two chocolate bars."

The crowd was abruptly silenced by a new arrival; Feliciano froze in Richard's strong gip. The sea of orange jumpsuits slowly parted to reveal the new bidder, all eyes staring at him with a mixture of confusion and shock, some even with fear. Feliciano himself was even more stunned than the rest. There, in the centre of the crowd, slowly making his way towards the bench as the sea of inmates parted to let him past, was Ludwig.

Richard quirked an eyebrow but shrugged. "Sold to the highest bidder." he said with a smirk, holding out his other hand.

Ludwig threw the cigarettes and chocolate haphazardly into the man's chest before snatching Feliciano away from him, dragging him back through the crowd where the inmates still looked completely baffled. The large man who'd originally won Feliciano didn't dare try to argue when he'd realised who'd out bid him. The Italian stumbled beneath the German's crippling grip, his fingers digging into the younger man's upper arm as he yanked him out of the auction and back down the courtyard.

Feliciano didn't know whether he should be more or less petrified by these turn of events. He was so confused; Ludwig had just saved him from being someone's bought sex slave, yet at the same time he'd just ended up being bought by somebody else, the one man every person in the prison seems to fear the most.

Feliciano was suddenly forced up against the tree Ludwig had been leaning up against. He gasped out as the German pinned him up against the trunk, hands fisted into the front of his jumpsuit, face the pure picture of rage. "What the HELL do you think you're doing!?" he snarled dangerously into the young man's face.

The Italian was absolutely petrified, trembling under the German's piercing glare. "Wha, I don't...I mean I-"

"What the HELL were you doing getting caught up in all of that!?" Ludwig bellowed, eyes shifting to where the auction was continuing before they immediately snapped back to Feliciano's horrified face.

Feliciano desperately shook his head, feet scrambling against the tree roots as he tried frantically to get away. "I-I didn't, I mean they just-"

"For fuck sake even a newbie like you can't be stupid enough not to know not to get involved!" Ludwig spat, shaking the Italian slightly. "I mean for fuck sake do you actually want to become someone's punk?" he demanded.

"...s-someone's what?" the Italian's stuttered quietly.

"A rape victim, an inmate's bitch, is that what you want?" Ludwig snapped, glaring at him. "Because that's what happens to weaklings like you who let themselves get pushed around! For Gott sake Vargas you are going to die in here if you don't man up a bit!" he yelled, face going red. For a moment the German loosened his grip on the young man, as if he was about to release him. But then he suddenly leant in close, causing the Italian to give a frightened squeak. "Und if anybody in here asks if you're my bitch you better make damn sure that you tell them you're not. You got that?" Ludwig growled, voice shaking as he spoke.

The Italian bit lip, jaw trembling noticeably. "...w-why?"

"Why?" Ludwig spat with disgust. He moved nearer despite the Italian's tremors of absolute fear, snarling into the young man's ear. "Because I'm not some sick ass jocker who needs someone to be his little bitch, I'm a lone wolf." he stood back up, dropping the Italian who slumped back into the tree. "Und I'm not going to be around to save your ass every time you get in trouble so MAN THE FUCK UP!" the German roared.

Feliciano winced, eyes clenching shut as he stood shaking against the tree. When he opened them again Ludwig was gone, and Feliciano could do nothing but stand frozen, rooted to the spot. The people around him didn't seem to have notice what had just happened, or maybe they'd deliberately avoided looking; they went about their own conversations and activities without so much as a second glance. Eventually Feliciano's senses slowly came back to him, furiously pounding heart returning to a normal pace, only then did he realise how badly his stomach was twisting and churning.

The Italian had to be taken to see Elizaveta in the end. Arthur eventually found him again, throwing up as discreetly as he possibly could by the front of the courtyard; the Brit had suggested a visit to physician when he saw what kind of state the Italian was in, pale, sick and trembling.

Ordinarily Feliciano would have just said his illness was due to the shock of being so terrorised, not that he was actually physically unwell. However Feliciano said nothing, he couldn't possibly give up the chance to see the friendly Hungarian, even if just for a few minutes. She only took his temperature and gave him a glass of water but the time spent away from danger and fear helped to soothe his shaking.

By the time Alfred and Arthur had managed to drag him away from Elizaveta's office he was taken to the cafeteria for lunch. Feliciano was still quite shaken up by what had happened and feeling rather unwell, so he didn't even mind when his food was once again knocked out of his hand, he wouldn't have eaten it anyway. Although come dinner time he had to scarf down all the food he possibly could before it happened again or he worried he might starve.

When he'd returned to his cell between lunch and dinner, Ludwig wasn't there. Even Arthur had been quite shocked, and Feliciano immediately got the feeling that the German was avoiding him. Come evening though all the inmates had to be locked up again by seven, and lights out was at ten. The Italian had been curled up on his bunk when the German returned on the dot at seven, he'd grimaced when he saw the younger man and climbed onto his own narrow bed without a word.

Feliciano had felt it maybe best not to tell Arthur about what had occurred in the courtyard, he'd been tempted to mention it to Elizaveta but was worried he'd just make things worse, and that the inmates would be out for revenge. He had however asked Arthur to properly explain what a punk was; the Brit was alarmed and immediately lectured him not to ever, ever get involved with that kind of thing in here. He'd said that an inmate would become a punk in exchange for protection, however this usually resulted in them becoming a form of slave to be used and abused, and almost certainly led to being raped.

Only then did Feliciano fully realise what it was Ludwig had done for him. He'd saved him from the worst possible kind of fate, even though the German clearly couldn't stand him he'd gone out of his way to help him. The Italian very tentatively sat up in bed, wincing slightly when it creaked and shuddered with his movement but thankfully Ludwig said nothing. Feliciano bit his lip, fingering the sheets uneasily, guilt dropping like a stone in his stomach. It wasn't the fact that the German had intimated the other inmates for him, he did that so naturally anyway, but he'd given that man all those packets of cigarettes and chocolate...he had no idea of their worth in here, but Ludwig had paid for his freedom.

Feliciano slowly shifted to the edge of the bed, his heart hammering nervously as he thought about what he was about to do. He could hear the German's heavy breathing from the bed above him and wondered whether or not he was asleep, but there was only one way to be sure. Slowly and undoubtedly unsure Feliciano got to his feet, fingers twisting anxiously together as he dithered by the bunk bed ladder. Ludwig gave no indication that he'd noticed him; the Italian grasped hold of the rails, legs shaking just slightly as he slowly pulled himself up.

The Italian leant his knees cautiously on the very edge of the German's bed, gripping tightly to the rails. His stomach was convulsing; Ludwig was lying on his back, the Italian could only just make him out in the very dim light. Feliciano bit his lip, trying to open his mouth to speak but no sound came out. The only noise he made was a squeak of shock when the German suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, narrowed eyes fixed on the Italian's face. "What do you want?" he growled.

Feliciano swallowed slightly, heart hammering nervously as the German's eyes seemed to be able to pierce him through the darkness. "I...I um...I just, I...was...um-" he fumbled over his words, keeping a tight hold of the bed rails to keep himself steady on the top bunk.

"Spit it out." Ludwig snapped.

The Italian jumped slightly. "W-Well I...you um...you saved me..." he whispered, managing to meet the German's eyes as he knotted his hands together. "...thank you."

"Whatever." Ludwig grunted. "Was that all you wanted?"

Feliciano shook his head. "N-No I...I wanted to know um..." he dared to shuffle just the tiniest bit closer on the mattress. "...cigarettes and stuff, is like money in here...right?" he asked softly.

"Ja."

Feliciano nodded slowly, he'd expected as much, and this only heightened the guilt. "So...um, I don't know um, what's it's worth in here but...was I expensive?" he finished quietly, hoping to God the answer wasn't a yes.

Unfortunately Ludwig nodded. "Ja, extremely, the good looking ones always are." he muttered coldly. The Italian nodded, chewing on his bottom lip. The blond sighed irritably as the young man made no move to get down from his bed, he seemed to be dithering, debating something in his mind. "What now?"

Feliciano edged closer, heart drumming furiously beneath his jumpsuit as he thought about what he was about to do, what he was about to offer. The Italian couldn't help the intense guilt flooding through him, it was torture. Never in his life had anyone done something so nice for him without the Italian giving them something in return...and as much as his body trembled and his mind told him it was a terrible idea, he had to proceed.

"Um...I just...you didn't have to, and I feel really bad..." he murmured softly, reaching out a shaking hand to lightly brush across the German's leg that lay in front of him. His fingers barely grazed him, but his heart rate just about tripled as he came in contact with him. Feliciano bit his lip, voice trembling as he spoke. "...so...if-if you want to..." his hand shifted further up towards the German's knee. "...I mean you did...buy me-"

The Italian gasped out as the hand travelling up Ludwig's leg was grasped onto by the German's own, fingers crushing his wrist. "Nein." he spat, forcing Feliciano's hand away from him. "Don't even think about offering yourself to me." he growled, eyes darkening.

Feliciano panicked, stumbling backwards on his knees, having to cling to the rails just before he fell off the bed. "S-Sorry I just-"

"The hell is wrong with you?" Ludwig snapped, drawing his legs in towards him in disgust. He glared at the young man. "For starters you're making the assumption that I have sex with men."

The Italian looked alarmed, oh God, he'd undoubtedly insulted the German. "N-No I didn't mean, I mean I just..." he stuttered desperately, face paling, he felt sick again.

Ludwig rolled his eyes, deciding to put the Italian out of his misery. "Luckily for you that assumption is correct." he muttered, quirking an eyebrow at the way Feliciano seemed stunned. The German shifted closer towards him, voice taking on a sinister tone. "Und whilst I do go for men I do not in any way agree with the sick way those bastards auction off the weaklings in here for their own personal gain; it's just a sick way of justifying rape und I'll have no part in it."

Feliciano nodded hurriedly, desperate to climb back down onto his own bunk, but Ludwig wasn't through with him yet. His sharp eyes kept the young man from moving as they remained fixed, unblinking on his own. "But if I had wanted to fuck you Vargas, I would have done so the second you became my cellmate, with or without your permission, I wouldn't have to pay for the privilege." he muttered darkly. "So don't you ever try to offer yourself up to me like some kind of filthy plaything, for gott sake Vargas have some respect for yourself." he growled with that familiar look of disgust, and just as suddenly as he'd sat up the German lay back down, relaxed out on his bunk as if nothing had ever occurred.

The Italian seemed frozen with shock, shaking internally even as the blonds' snarling face disappeared from sight. With a lot of will however, he managed to scrambled down from the top bunk, stumbling over the last rung of the ladder before practically diving for the safety of his own bunk. He curled up beneath the sheets, his body quivering so violently it almost shook the entire bunk. The Italian couldn't decipher between the shock of being so badly mistaken, or the fear of being threatened with potential rape.

* * *

**I actually felt truly awful writing this, truly awful**

**Reviews are love however if you don't hate me :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Ludwig/Feliciano, Spain/Romano, America/Arthur**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Feliciano meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

The American prison guard Alfred Jones wandered into the prison staff room, clutching a mug of steaming hot coffee. It was very early in the morning and the prisoners had yet to be woken up and taken to breakfast. An early riser as always, Arthur Kirkland was already there, sat at the kitchen table enjoying a hot cup of tea; he was hunched over slightly as he was sat reading something on top of the table. Alfred took a sip of coffee, placed the mug down on a work surface before creeping up behind the Brit. "What are you doing?"

Arthur yawned slightly, turning over the page. "Just going through some things..." he muttered softly.

Alfred smiled, placing his hands on the Brit's shoulders, rubbing them slowly. "Hey come on, technically we're on break."

The Brit shrugged him off. "Not at work Alfred." he grunted.

Alfred pouted, falling across the Brit's back. "Loosen up babe..." he murmured softly into his ear.

Arthur gave him a displeased look, trying to push him away. "Get off you arse, I'm reading-hey!" he cried as the papers beneath him disappeared; Alfred had snatched them hurriedly, jumping up off the Brit.

Alfred read the page as he wandered around the tiny kitchen. "Feliciano..." he read the name at the top. "Why you reading his file again?" he asked the Brit.

Arthur sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "I'm just reviewing his case...it seems ridiculous." he muttered.

Alfred nodded, tossing the file back onto the table. "Yeah...the guy's way too soft, can't imagine him even squishing a bug let alone beating a guy almost to death."

Arthur nodded. "Exactly, completely wrongly convicted if you ask me." he said sternly, not seeming to notice Alfred shrugging beside him. "He's so fragile..." the Brit murmured, wincing slightly. "...oh dear, I think I might have to stand guard when he's in the showers..."

Alfred looked slightly horrified. "The fuck dude? What, is my body not good enough for you all of sudden you wanna drool over the Italian guy?" he demanded, glaring at him.

Arthur sighed irritably, whacking him in the stomach. "Oh shut up Alfred, I'm just terrified the poor kid's going to get raped that's all."

Alfred frowned, stepping back and rubbing his stomach. "I have no doubt he will at some point."

"Reassuring as always." Arthur muttered with a roll of the eyes, bringing his tea cup to his lips.

Alfred frowned. "Well why the hell do you care?" he asked.

Arthur took a sip of tea, glaring slightly at the American over the rim on his tea cup. "Alfred part of our job is to prevent that sort of thing!" he snapped, practically slamming the cup back down on the table. "You know I've heard that there's actually some kind of sex auction thing going on around here." he said with a slight shudder.

Alfred pulled a disturbed face. "Creepy...but come on Arthur, there's only so much we can do, we can't guard them twenty-four seven." he pointed out, jumping up to sit on the edge of the table.

Arthur sighed. "Well I wish we could, or the prison would at least hire more men, bloody budget cuts." he grumbled bitterly.

"Didn't know you were so testy about rape," Alfred muttered. "I mean I know it's terrible when a woman gets raped," he added hurriedly when the Brit looked shocked. "...but if it's a guy in prison getting ass raped who the hell cares?"

"Alfred!" the Brit barked. "It's a terrible thing no matter what the circumstances!" he hissed, glaring at him. "Dear God...Feliciano is petrified at the best of times imagine what he'd be like after that kind of ordeal!"

Alfred let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay okay, I didn't mean it...anyway Ludwig hasn't done it to him, so that's good." he said, taking a sip of the Brit's tea, nose wrinkling in disgust at the taste.

"Ludwig doesn't do that kind of thing Alfred, you know that." Arthur muttered, snatching his tea cup back.

"I guess...surprised he hasn't beat him up though." Alfred said with a hint of wonder, sitting crossed legged on the table.

Arthur nodded. "So am I, but if Ludwig tries it I'll be having some very stern words about putting him in isolation again." he said firmly, draining the rest of his tea cup.

Alfred gave him a confused, disgruntled look. He jumped down from the table, folding his arms moodily across his chest. "Arthur why the hell are you so nice to Feliciano? You got a crush on the guy or something?" he demanded.

"No!" Arthur snapped, eyes narrowing. "I just feel sorry for the kid, he was wrongly convicted and now he's going to spend up to two years of his live in a hell hole like this."

"How do you know he's innocent, were you there?" Alfred asked skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

Arthur rolled his eyes, getting up from the table to put his tea cup in the sink behind him. "You're the one who said he wouldn't squish a bug."

Alfred shrugged. "Maybe the kid has a secret dark side." he suggested, ignoring the incredulous look the Brit shot him. He sighed slightly. "...I still don't get it Arthur, you've never been this nice to any inmates we've ever had in here before."

"Yes well I've never met an inmate as pathetic as him," Arthur said softly, washing the inside of his cup. "...if we don't look out for him he's going to get raped or killed." he glanced back at the American. "...or raped and _then _killed."

"I didn't see you standing up for any of the other pathetic guys in here." Alfred said pointedly, leaning back against the table.

Arthur sighed, drying his hands on a tea towel. "Alfred surely you've seen the way everybody in here looks at him."

"Yeah I know..." Alfred muttered, scratching the back of his head. "But even still; it's not our job to decide who's innocent dude, we're not barristers, we just keep the convicted ones in line." he said his a shrug as if that was final.

The American jumped slightly as the Brit suddenly whacked the towel down on the counter. Arthur turned around to fix him with a dark stare. "For God sake." he growled.

Alfred looked confused, eyes shifting about uncomfortably. "What?"

Arthur sighed in frustration, shaking his head. "You never understand do you?" he muttered coldly.

Alfred just stared at him. "What's there to understand?" he asked in bewilderment. "Feliciano was convicted and brought here...we shouldn't give him any special treatment."

Arthur shook his head in disgust, turning back to the sink. "Forget it." he grumbled.

Alfred sighed, pushing back from the table he walked forward and placed a hand on the Brit's shoulder. "Arthur-"

"You know this is just like what happened when Ludwig was brought here five years ago!" Arthur glowered, spinning around to slap the American's hand away.

"For fuck sake not this again Arthur..." Alfred muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Arthur frowned. "What?"

Alfred glared at him. "Ludwig belongs here Arthur!" he cried in aggravation. "He was convicted for a damn good reason, he's not innocent!"

"It's not as simple as that!" the Brit snapped irately.

"It never is with you is it?" Alfred spat darkly. "You always gotta see things from the other side, even when it's our side that's right!"

"I am very open minded Alfred!" Arthur glowered. "I understand Ludwig!

"Oh my God Arthur," Alfred gripped the back of his neck, staring at him in disbelief. "...you can't possibly be defending him!" he cried in alarm; the American couldn't believe what he was hearing, he glared at the Brit, pointing a finger at his chest. "Don't you ever try and defend him Arthur, there was no just reason for what he did!"

Arthur took a deep breath, calmly knocking the American's hand away. "You know the reason Alfred," he said slowly, eyes narrowing. "...same as I, and no I'm not defending what he did, but I can understand why he did it."

Alfred sighed, just giving him a defeated look. "The laws the law dude, he broke the law, and justice is being served." he said simply, shrugging.

Arthur slowly shook his head, cold eyes boring into the American's own. "You only ever see the world in black and white, don't you?" he said in a hushed whisper; the Brit shrugged past the American, storming out of the staff room.

Alfred heaved another sigh, leaning against the kitchen sink. "Fuck sake..."

**~0~**

Feliciano once again woke with a start to the new day. Not that he could tell whether or not it was the early morning or late in the evening with the lack of sunlight being able to penetrate through the thick confinements of their cells. Ludwig jumped down from his bunk and waited for Arthur and Alfred to let him out as they had done the day before. Feliciano was sensing a lot of awkward tension between the two guards as they walked him to the cafeteria that morning. Alfred seemed to be making a point of not walking near the Italian, rather he went ahead and stayed with the rest of the block D inmates, whilst Arthur did exactly the opposite and remained at the back of the crowd, stuck right by Feliciano's side. The Italian couldn't help but be wary that he might be the cause of a slight rift between those two.

Feliciano was dreading breakfast, once again. It was only his second time but he was indeed sensing a pattern with the other inmate's behaviour towards him. He could almost hear the inner workings of their minds, thinking that the second the scrawny defenceless Italian picks up his tray it was going to be knocked right out of his hands before he even had the chance to worry about where to sit. The Italian hesitated by the entrance, wondering whether or not he dared to ask Arthur to accompany him to the serving station and safely seat him somewhere. However what with the American guard shooting him daggers with his eyes and the other inmates snorting at how pathetic he was; Feliciano decided against it. It would be momentarily appealing until he got out into the courtyard later and the other inmates beat the shit out of him for sucking up to a prison guard. As nice as the guards were to him he sensed they weren't very well liked among the other orange jumpsuits.

The Italian gingerly approached the serving station, once again he was the last person to get his breakfast. He was handed a plastic cup of lukewarm coffee, two pieces of soggy looking toast and a ripe banana. Feliciano stayed put with his tray on the metal railings of the serving station, thinking about the possibility of just eating it there. The manly looking woman behind the counter however was giving him a disapproving glower that made the Italian shiver, and he hastily retreated, tray in hand.

Feliciano heard a few snorts from the tables near by as he skidded past them, he made sure to keep well out of proximity of their legs as he clutched the tray to his chest, struggling not to wobble it as he moved quickly. He kept almost right up against walls, skirting all around the large room to keep out of people's way; Feliciano was all too aware of how ridiculous he must have looked.

The Italian came to an awkward stop at the back of the cafeteria, he glanced around briefly and almost dropped his breakfast when he realised he'd inadvertently stopped right by Ludwig's table. The German was sat right in the centre of the wooden bench on his own, sipping coffee and avoiding any kind of communication with anybody in the room...as if he wasn't even aware of them. Feliciano didn't want a repeat of last time so made no move to sit with him, however he just dared to stand near by, hoping no inmates would try anything, for fear of enraging Ludwig.

He awkwardly grappled with his tray as he attempted to eat off it standing up, trying to ignore the harsh laughs and comments that were being made by people who were watching. Ludwig must have heard them because he too was looking, his expression unreadable. Feliciano tried to ignore him as he continued his failing pursuit, one piece of so called toast was already lying in a small heap on the floor.

The Italian jumped in surprise at a sudden scraping noise from very close by. He dared a glance at Ludwig and saw, to his amazement; the German had just pushed the bench opposite him backwards slightly with his foot, creating a gap between it and his table. "Sit." he grunted to no one in particular. Feliciano gazed vacantly for a moment, not sure if it was to him the German had spoke, he was still fiddling anxiously with his tray. Ludwig looked up at him with annoyed expression. "You deaf? I said sit." he tried again, hitting the bench with his foot almost violently.

Feliciano jumped again, hurrying to the table, but faltering just short of it as anxiety kicked in. Was this some kind of trick? Was the German going to yank the seat out from beneath him before he could sit down? Sending him crashing to the floor and humiliating him in front of the entire room? Was this pay back for yesterday's fiasco? Feliciano hesitated, however Ludwig had simply gone back to his breakfast, not seeming to care one way or the other, and his feet were both tucked back beneath his own bench.

He placed the tray down gingerly on the table first, just short of being opposite the German, in case he did knock him over he didn't want to be holding food. Another few moments of dithering the Italian bit the bullet, scrambling onto the bench before Ludwig could change his mind (although if he did Feliciano knew he'd be up like a shot). The blond simply raised an eyebrow at the Italian's erratic movement but said nothing.

However the German's invitation had obviously stunned inmates near by. Shocked and confused and even some irritated faces were staring over. A few large skinheads on a very crowded table opposite seemed to think it was fair game; they stood up from their own bench and moved confidently to the German's table, slipping into the seats opposite.

Ludwig on the other hand, was clearly not in the mood to share to just anyone. "HEY!" he snarled like a vicious dog to the men who had just joined them. "You think this is an open bar or something!? Get the fuck out of here!" he bellowed, hurling his half full cup of coffee savagely in their direction.

In a flash they scattered in all directions as quickly as they could, panic written all over their ugly faces. Feliciano himself had jumped to his feet at the German's sudden outburst, frightened heart beating an unnaturally fast rhythm. Ludwig looked up at him with disdain. "Not you." he said in an almost disbelieving way, as if amazed at how truly stupid the Italian could be.

Feliciano let out a tiny nervous laugh, awkwardly sitting back down again, however the Italian was in no way comfortable, his fingers drumming across the edge of the table. He bit his lip, clearing his throat slightly. "Um...Ludwig-"

"Look." the German growled, throwing down his spoon with a clatter. "You can sit here so you can get some gott verdammt food down your throat without it getting knocked out of your hand." the Italian blushed slightly with embarrassment. "Just don't talk to me, got that?" he grunted, going back to his cornflakes.

The Italian nodded rapidly, opening his mouth to thank him when he realised what Ludwig had just told him, and he snapped it shut again. He couldn't distinguish between fidgety anxiousness or disbelieving relief at being sat at what seemed to be the most exclusive table in the room.

**~0~**

Outside in the courtyard the hot sun was once again blaring down, scorching them from the clear blue sky. The Italian wandered outside of his own accord; it seemed Alfred and Arthur had gone to settle their disagreement somewhere, and Feliciano was, for the moment at least, no longer their top priority. Ludwig was one of the last to leave the cafeteria, of which Feliciano was eternally grateful, as he was certain that if he'd have been left by himself on the German's table the other inmates might have tried to ambush him if Ludwig wasn't there for protection.

Not that the German was actually protecting him however; Feliciano knew he just felt sorry for him, but not even a kind hearted way. The Italian must have looked unbelievably pathetic if a man as violent and cold hearted as Ludwig was pitying him. Not that he minded of course, sticking with the German made him feel...safe. Although perhaps safe was the wrong word to use...less afraid? No, there was no dent in that barrier whatsoever; Feliciano couldn't think of the right word, but he felt different around the German, that's all he knew.

However Ludwig obviously had no intention of babysitting the Italian, despite them leaving the cafeteria practically together the blond made no acknowledgment of him as he swept across the courtyard, inmates parting like the red sea to let him past. The German didn't go to stand by the tree this time; Feliciano watched him from the entrance as he strode up to the outdoor gym towards the pile of different sized dumbbells. All of them were already being used, but when the German got within range several inmates immediately dropped them back down on the ground when he approached and retreated hastily.

Ludwig leant down and retrieved a pair of heavy dumbbells that had been dropped. Feliciano couldn't help but notice that every time other inmates went out of their way to keep the German happy, it was done so naturally, as if they were all following a strict routine. Ludwig stood amongst the other, more brawny inmates, lifting the heavy weights steadily, doing reps. Most of the pumped up men doing the same didn't seem as afraid of the German as most other people, probably due to their large stature however a slight distance was still kept and no one made a move to retrieve any of the dumbbells Ludwig wasn't using that still lay by his feet.

Feliciano stood dubiously a good few yards from the outdoor gym. As intimidating as the German was he couldn't deny that he was the only person who would ensure he wasn't picked on...although he couldn't just stand awkwardly by his side whilst he was lifting weights could he? No, that was utterly pathetic. Maybe if he himself lifted some weights he could away with it, but from the looks of the large, lumbering dumbbells, some of which looked almost as large as one of the Italian's arms, something told him he wouldn't have much luck before his arms gave out.

The Italian slowly shuffled over across the gravely tarmac, heart squeezing anxiously the closer he got. A few inmates looked up but said nothing, they seemed to be similar in a way to Ludwig, keeping to themselves, not wanting to cause trouble. This relieved Feliciano slightly as he tentatively bent down, selecting the smallest of the dumbbells from near one of Ludwig's ankles. The blond hadn't seemed to notice him, arms working furiously on the large weights, eyes fixed firmly ahead. The Italian attempted to stand but found that he couldn't, embarrassingly the overall weight of the two dumbbells in his hands meant he couldn't even pull himself back up.

Blushing slightly and quickly checking to make sure people weren't watching, he let go with one hand and attempted to lug just one of the dumbbells with both hands. Straining and grunting slightly with the force, Feliciano eventually managed to get back to his feet, a substantially heavy weight held insecurely in both hands. The Italian held it up in triumph, unfortunately this turned out to be the worst possible move. The sudden lunge of the weight into the air toppled him dangerously off balance. Feliciano let out a slight squeak, dropping the dumbbell with a loud clatter he stumbled forcibly into the back of another inmate, knocking heavily into them.

The giant, muscled jumpsuit spun around with a look of pure fury across his red face. Feliciano hadn't even caused him to wobble, it was like falling into a brick wall, he didn't even leave a scratch. However this clearly was beside the point for this powerhouse, black haired man. "OI!"

Feliciano immediately began blurting out apologies, rapidly backing away. "S-Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't, I mean it was an accident-"

He gasped out as a large hand fisted into the front of his jumpsuit, dragging him back towards him. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" he snarled, bearing his pointy shark-like teeth.

Feliciano shook his head desperately, frightened tears springing to his eyes as his feet were almost dangling off the ground. "S-Sorry, please...I'm sorry!" he shrieked, struggling in the clamp-like grip.

"You will be." he growled into the Italian's fearful face, bulging veins popping out on his large neck.

A loud clatter momentarily faltered the man, he looked up to see Ludwig watching him with his arms folded, having dropped the dumbbells to the ground. The two pairs of dark eyes met and the German stepped closer. "Let him go, Blake." he said deliberately slowly.

Blake quirked an eyebrow yet his hand did loosen around Feliciano. "Why might I do that?"

The Italian was alarmed that this man didn't seem to fear Ludwig. However the German kept his strict composure, quirking a blond eyebrow. "Because bad things happen to people who don't do what I say." he growled in a low voice that made Feliciano shiver. "...und I don't know what those things might be, because people have always done what I say."

Blake gave him a disgruntled look, dropping the Italian harshly to the ground. "I'm getting pretty sick of you parading around here like you're a fucking king." he spat, squaring up to the blond. For the first time since he'd met Ludwig; Feliciano actually feared for him, this man towered a good five inches above the German and was noticeably larger in body mass. Other inmates in the gym had now stopped to stare, open mouthed at the confrontation, all holding their breath to see how Ludwig would react.

Ludwig merely gave him a nasty smirk. "Then why don't you do something about it?" he said almost in an inviting voice.

Feliciano didn't know whether Ludwig expected the inmate to take him up on the offer or back off, however the German was clearly prepared for whatever he dared to throw at him. Blake's large, fat fist shot out to slam hard the blond in his face; Ludwig simply blocked the attack with his own hand, turning the tables on him he yanked the man's arm forcibly behind his back, forcing him onto his knees. The Italian could only stare in shock as Blake was reduced to a whimpering child whilst the German held him down, he began spurting out apologies in a similar way Feliciano himself had done moments before.

Ludwig eventually got bored and released him, giving him a look of disgust. "Get the fuck out of here." he hissed; Blake slowly got to his feet, intense rage mingling with pain was spread across his face but then he stormed off across the courtyard, leaving his dignity behind him.

Feliciano's mouth was still hanging open as he too got to his feet; Ludwig said nothing and tried to go back to the dumbbells. However the Italian had another idea, a very bad idea. Before he could stop himself he'd lunged forward and grabbed the German's sleeve, staring up at him in awe. "Ludwig..." he breathed, almost beaming. "Grazie-"

On some sort of built in instinct Ludwig had whipped back around and socked the Italian right across the jaw, sending him sprawled out on the ground. Feliciano gasped out in pain, clutching at his face as he curled up into a ball. Ludwig shook his head, slowly bending down he leant over the whimpering Italian. "Did I forget to mention that the no talking to me rule also included a no touching me rule?" he muttered sharply into Feliciano's ear. "Maybe I should have made myself clearer." the German got back to his feet, stepping over the Italian he left him there writhing in pain as he went back to his work out.

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**Literally finished this less than an hour before I'm leaving for the airport XD that's how much I love you guys :D**

**Off for a week now so it'll be a bit of a wait for an update, see you all soon!**

**Reviews are love :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

"It's so good to see you again Feli." the Italian's friend, and his brother's partner, said with a warm smile; he sat down opposite Feliciano beside Romano after a good few minutes of the three of them embracing tightly with tearful eyes.

Feliciano managed the tiniest of smiles as he tentatively seated himself opposite in the uncomfortable plastic chair. "You too..." he murmured softly.

"You look well." The Spaniard kept his reassuringly composure as he spoke but there was definite concern in his eyes.

"Bullshit." Romano spat beside him, taking in the sight of his brother. The small Italian looked even skinner than usual, his orange jumpsuit was practically hanging off him; there were dark, grungy circles beneath his dull eyes, as if all the life had been sucked out of him. "He looks like he hasn't eaten in days."

"Lovino..." Antonio said gently, placing a hand on his knee.

"Be honest Feliciano, are they starving you in here?" Romano demanded, leaning across the table; Feliciano could see some distinct worry and frown lines embedded in his brother's face that hadn't been there previously. "Because I'll take them to court if that's the case!"

Feliciano shook his head, tucking his hands between his knees. "No, fratello really they don't starve me...I've been okay." he reassured him, despite only half of that statement being true.

For the past week and a half pretty much the only thing that had kept Feliciano going was the thought that he would eventually get a visit from his brother and Antonio. Inmates seemed to be kept in the dark about the days when visitors were allowed to see them; the first Feliciano had heard of it was the night before when he overheard a couple of Italian mobsters discussing the visits they were going to have from their wives the next morning. Arthur had woken him at the usual time and after breakfast he, as well as about half the prison population of block D, were taken to the visiting room.

Each block had their own days for when visitors could come and see their friends and relatives on the inside. The visiting room was a large, rather brightly lit room on the upper floor of the prison. Inmates were given a number before they were allowed in, where they would find the table with the matching number on it and wait for their visitors to be let in through the adjacent door on the other side of the room. The vast space was crammed with about a hundred tables, four chairs sat around each one.

Despite how miserable and depressed he'd been whilst he was in here; Feliciano was almost verging on ecstatic when his brother's face had appeared in the doorway after he'd been searched by the guards and let into the visiting room. Now here they were, sat around one of the circular tables in the middle of the room; they were surrounded by other block D inmates with their own visitors, however the familiar face of Ludwig was nowhere in sight.

"So what's it like in here Feli?" Antonio asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Is it true about the soap in the showers?"

"Antonio!" Romano growled harshly, giving him a sharp clip around the ear.

Feliciano smiled weakly. "They don't use bars of soap, there's gel...probably so that stuff doesn't happen..." he muttered, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

Romano's brow creased with concern. "Nothing has happened has it?" he asked seriously, reaching out a hand to grab his brother's shoulder. "No one been giving you any trouble?"

Feliciano bit his lip, avoiding Romano's eyes. "I'm fine..." he muttered softly, gazing across the both of them with a sigh. "...miss you guys though."

Antonio looked at him sadly, "We miss you too; Vargas' Place just hasn't been the same without you."

"We're still working on your case." Romano said firmly, leaning low towards his brother across the table. "We've been to see the parole officer and I even sent a letter to the Japanese guy's family asking them to appeal your innocence."

Antonio nodded, looking slightly awkward. "Sí...and I had to re-write it to take out all the swearing..."

Romano glared at him, "Well they shouldn't be so stupid to think that my brother could do anything like that!" he snapped at his partner. "They saw him at the trial, how shaky and terrified he was, how the hell can they think a guy like that could have attacked anyone?"

The Spaniard sighed softly, gently patting his knee. "Lovino the justice system can't be biased based on someone's appearance..."

"Bullshit." Romano glowered. "They just have it out for him."

Antonio smiled sadly at the Italian opposite them, he was keeping unusually quiet and Spain couldn't help but notice the way his eyes occasionally flittered anxiously about the room, observing the other inmates. The Spaniard leant down to the side of his chair, taking out a small brown paper bag and pushing it across the table towards him. "Here Feliciano, I bought you these from the cafe, I made them this morning." Feliciano slowly took the bag to find two sugary, slightly wonky shaped cinnamon buns. "...sorry they're a little squished." Antonio added apologetically.

"Fucking guards gave them a right going over, even x-rayed them!" Romano spat in disgust, shaking his head. "They're fucking pastries for God sake!"

"They were checking we weren't trying to sneak him anything inside them." Antonio said, carefully removing the half disintegrated buns from the bag for the Italian.

Feliciano wished he had the energy to truly show how grateful he was for the pastries, his stomach gave a ferocious growl at the sight of the sugary treats and he snatched them up hurriedly. "Grazie." he gabbed quickly, digging in immediately. He tore into the soft pastries with his teeth, consuming the lot in a matter of moments.

Romano stared at his brother savagely destroying the cinnamon buns. "Holy crapola they are starving you then?" he demanded, never having seen his brother eat so enthusiastically before.

"No!" Feliciano insisted, wiping his lips. "Fratello really...we just don't get food like this and I really miss it..." he murmured softly.

"What is the food like?" Romano asked, suddenly worried, "It's not like dead rats or anything is it? Because I will march into the warden's office right now and-"

"Lovi..." Antonio shushed him quietly; the Italian's his voice seemed to be increasing in pitch and people were starting to look over.

Feliciano bit his lip, sighing softly. "The foods not my biggest problem..." he muttered, the two of them looked up. "...it's just finding ways to pass the time..."

This had only become an issue in the last week or so. Feliciano's last encounter with his German cellmate had left rather a lasting impression on him. He just didn't understand Ludwig! The Italian was so confused...one moment the blond was defending him and protecting him from harm, the next he was punching his lights out for simply trying to thank him! Feliciano didn't know what to make of it, but needless to say he'd been completely turned off the idea of sticking with Ludwig ever since the unfortunate courtyard gym incident...

However that was proving to be a problem; it was almost impossible to avoid the German what with them being cellmates and all, not to mention the fact that Ludwig seemed to be everywhere the Italian was. Unfortunately for Feliciano, there had been a number of similar incidents to the gym one in recent days, and all because the Italian couldn't control his compulsive need to thank Ludwig. He just couldn't help it; every time the German did something nice for him Feliciano couldn't help his immediate reaction. But what he just couldn't understand was why Ludwig would be so nice...so nice and then so horrible straight afterwards.

The most recent incident being whilst the Italian was taking a shower with some of the other block D inmates. Arthur had been called away to deal with something and wasn't there to stand guard over him like he normally would, leaving Feliciano feeling very exposed. He'd felt someone's eyes on him the second he'd stepped under the stream of hot water and it made him very uncomfortable. It was only confirmed to him that he was being watched when Ludwig's voice beside him snarled 'stop eye-fucking the Italian or I'll rip them out of your skull.' to an inmate stood behind Feliciano. The man immediately backed off and Feliciano was so grateful he'd lunged himself into the German, hugging him in gratitude. Ludwig clearly didn't appreciate the naked Italian clinging onto him and punched him square in the jaw like he'd now done on many occasions. The Italian had almost blacked out, lying practically unconscious on the shower floor as the hot water washed over his body, struggling to breathe and on the verge of drowning. Thankfully Arthur returned at this point and the poor guy had to fight his way in, fully clothed, to pick Feliciano up and drag him out, his uniform soaking wet.

Feliciano wished more than anything that he could control himself. He didn't understand, why did Ludwig have such a big problem with being thanked? Feliciano was just trying to show his gratitude...maybe the naked shower hug had been a bit much, but on the other separate occasions he'd only said the words 'thank you' and it still resulted in a punch or attack of some kind.

For those reasons the Italian had tried to keep himself occupied in other ways and away from Ludwig as much as possible. Taking Arthur's advice he joined some of the prison work programmes so that he had something to occupy himself with during the day. However these proved to be even less enjoyable than lying awkwardly on his bunk in silence with Ludwig above him in his own. He tried the kitchens first, since he loved cooking, but the manly cafeteria women were not happy for the help and weren't interested in any of Feliciano's ideas for improvement on the meals. Feliciano then tried the office but the paper work was tedious and boring, he hated it.

The worst however, had to be the laundry room; the Italian didn't mind washing and ironing clothes and he thought it'd be a great way to pass the time and avoid trouble. Unfortunately he hadn't realised that this job involved going round to every single prison cell in the afternoon with a trolley and collecting everyone's jumpsuits to take back to the laundry room. The cell doors were locked, but Feliciano still trembled with fear as he passed each pair of dark eyes, and squealed in alarm when anyone tried to speak to him. He had to resist the intense urge to throw up when he passed the cell which housed the man who had tried to buy him in the sex auction.

So Feliciano just went back to doing nothing like Ludwig, yet they had barely spoken at all in almost two weeks. The Italian noticed he was especially quiet that morning when Arthur had told them it was visitors' day for their block.

Romano looked at him curiously, "What do you even do in here?"

"Have you made any friends?" Antonio inquired.

"Don't make friends Feliciano!" Romano warned, "You shouldn't trust anyone in here..." he growled, eyes flicking about the room, glaring suspiciously at all the orange jumpsuits.

"Do you share a cell with anyone?"

Feliciano nodded slowly, wincing slightly as he irritated his tender jaw. "Sì, he's...kind of violent-"

"WHAT!?" the Italian's brother roared, jumping to his feet in a flash, sending his chair crashing to the floor with the erratic movement. "What do you mean violent!? Why the hell did they put you with a guy who's violent!? This is NOT acceptable!" Romano raged, going bright red. "I'm going to have a word!" he spat, pushing past the table he homed in on the British prison guard stood by the door.

"Lovino don't!" Feliciano begged but it was too late to stop him.

"HEY!" Romano snarled, squaring up to the Brit. "What the hell is all this about my little brother sharing a cell with some violent bastard? Do you want him to die or something!?"

Arthur looked very taken aback, glancing awkwardly at Feliciano who was still sat, looking mortified, at the table. "Um, Sir, I assure you that is not anyone's intention, but I don't have any say on who is put in which cell..."

Romano glared at him. "I don't care! Why don't you do something about it!?" his fists shaking at his sides the Italian looked close to having a violent outburst.

By this point Antonio had to come to the rescue before the British guard was forced to get his taser out; the Spaniard gently manoeuvred him away. "Lovi calm down, we're here to see Feli remember?"

Romano was still raging under his breath but managed to regain composure to spend the remaining time with his brother. Just ten minutes later a loud announcement was heard over the tannoy system, telling the visitors it was time to leave. Feliciano bid a reluctant, heartfelt farewell to his family before they were practically dragged out of the room. The Italian was the last of the inmates to get up from his table, shuffling after the rest of them as they were let out of the visiting room. The Brit gave him an awkward smile as he reached the door where he was still stood monitoring. "Well...you're brother certainly has a mouth on him..." he muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Sì...I'm sorry about that." the Italian mumbled softly.

The Brit shrugged slightly. "Don't worry about it...but you know if you really wanted I could ask for you to be moved to another block, if you want to get away from Ludwig." he suggested.

"No!" Feliciano said hurriedly, startling the Brit. "I mean...I-I already know him, and he's not so bad..." he said softly, going slightly red. "By the way, where is he? He wasn't here..." he glanced around the now empty visiting room as everyone had filed back into the block.

Arthur nodded slowly. "Not surprising; in the five years Ludwig's been here he's never once had a visitor."

Feliciano stared at him. "Really? But...not even his family?" he asked in quiet shock; it was hard to believe that not even a single person would want to visit the German; surely he must have someone on the outside world.

The Brit looked slightly saddened. "He doesn't have a family." he said softly. Arthur was silent for a few moments before adding; "He had a brother once but..." he trailed off with a slightly distorted look on his face, quickly shaking his head. "Anyway doesn't matter, he's not here; I think he's still with Elizaveta, actually."

"What?" the Italian couldn't help the note of concern that filled his voice. "Why, is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, he just got stabbed again." the Brit said casually, glancing at his watch. "Right I better get you back-"

"Stabbed!?" Feliciano blurted out in shock, face paling. "B-But how? When?"

Arthur sighed slightly, "Bit of riot down in the courtyard, happens occasionally, always on visiting day I've noticed...anyway come on I need to lock up."

"Can I see him?" the Italian asked quietly, gazing up at he Brit. "I mean...to see if he's okay?"

Arthur manoeuvred Feliciano out of the visiting room so he could shut and lock the door. "Well..." he turned back with a bit of an awkward look on his face. "There's only really supposed to be one inmate at a time to see a prison physician..." he muttered.

"Please, I'm sure Elizaveta won't mind..." the Italian begged as he followed the Brit down a flight of stairs.

Arthur glanced around the crowded block when they finally reached the entrance at the bottom of the stairs; inmates were disappearing into their cells but there were no other prison guards in sight. "Oh...okay fine, but not a word of this to anyone okay?" he warned quietly as he turned left down the wide corridor and he led Feliciano out of block D.

**~0~**

Feliciano actually felt strangely apprehensive as the door-less entrance to Elizaveta's office came into view. The man behind the glass in the office gave him a slightly confused stare as he passed, but with Arthur by his side the man said nothing. They carried on until they came to the open doorway where the familiar face of the American prison guard Alfred Jones was stood keeping watch; the Brit acknowledged him briefly before he knocked on the side of the wall. "Miss Héderváry?" he asked softly, halting the movement inside.

Feliciano peered cautiously into the office, letting out a tiny gasp. Ludwig was indeed there, sat on the narrow bed up against the wall. Looking at his face you wouldn't notice anything different about him, but there, protruding out of his left upper arm, was the handle of something that looked like a merciless make-shift knife. A trickle of blood was slowly weeping from the wound, dripping down the German's arm to his elbow, where it beaded off and stained the white sheets beneath him.

The surprisingly cheerful Hungarian turned around from her desk, smiling at the Brit. "Oh hi Arthur, do you need something?"

"No I've just...I've brought Feliciano." he indicated to the Italian beside him; Alfred rolled his eyes.

Elizaveta looked round at him in surprise. "Hi sweetheart, are you okay? I'm just with Ludwig at the moment so do you think you can wait a few minutes?" she asked, searching through the draws beneath one of the work surfaces.

Feliciano bit his lip, he could feel Ludwig staring at him. "No I'm okay I just...I wanted to see if...if..." he trailed off awkwardly, his eyes shifting uncomfortably towards the German. "...Ludwig was okay." he finished in a soft murmur.

Ludwig's eyebrows ascended up towards his forehead; Elizaveta smiled sweetly as she turned back around. "Oh how sweet...well I guess that's okay if Ludwig doesn't mind..." she asked approachably, glancing at the blond.

Feliciano knotted his fingers together anxiously; the German simply rolled his eyes. "Ja whatever fine, you can let him in." he muttered, turning his attention back to Elizaveta.

The Italian managed a small smile, slowly shuffling into the office; he stood awkwardly for a few moments before the Hungarian suggested he take a seat beside the German. Feliciano edged over, not able to help the harsh wince that wracked his features when he got a close up view of the blunt object sticking out of Ludwig's arm. He went to the German's other side, away from the knife, he struggled to jump up onto the bed next to him as his weedy arms couldn't heave himself up. Feliciano let out a squeak of surprise when the scruff of his neck was suddenly grabbed onto, and Ludwig hoisted him up onto the bed with one hand.

"G-Grazie-" the Italian clamped a hand to his mouth when he realised what he'd just said; the German shot him a dark look but thankfully did nothing. Feliciano was very on edge, hunched anxiously on the bed, leaving a space between him and Ludwig.

Elizaveta pulled on a pair of white rubber gloves and swiftly approached the German. "Okay sweetie, come here..." she leant down to get a closer look at the wound, gently pressing her thumbs either side of the protruding object, biting her lip in thought. "...not too bad, it's not a very big shiv is it? Doesn't look like it's gone too deep..." she muttered softly.

"Ja, it was a bit pathetic." Ludwig muttered, watching her. Feliciano couldn't look, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead at the wall opposite, at all the plastic wallets that were thumb tacked up, each containing different medical forms.

Elizaveta stood up straight, giving the German an apologetic look. "I'm going to pull it out now okay? I'd grab onto something if I was you sweetie, it may smart a bit."

Feliciano had just managed to block out what was going on in the room when a crushing weight on his hand caused him to let out a startled squeak. The Italian's left hand, that had been resting in the gap between him and the German, was being clamped down on by Ludwig's own, his large fingers crushing around Feliciano's wrist. The Italian dared a look at the German's face, he was clenching his jaw, eyes narrowed so tight they were almost closed shut, it seemed as if he wasn't even aware he was grabbing onto the Italian.

Elizaveta took a tight grasp of the handle, her other hand placed firmly against the German's shoulder. "Ready? Okay, one, two, three!" with a sharp tug the shiv was wrenched out of Ludwig's upper arm, sending a fresh, rather thick, drizzle of warm blood down his bare arm. Feliciano's hand felt as though it was going to snap right off, when the Hungarian pulled Ludwig clamped down on him with such force his whole arm shook.

Ludwig's face slowly unclenched and untwisted itself, his fingers slowly releasing Feliciano's poor hand. The Italian flexed his crushed fingers, trying to let the blood flow back into his hand. The Hungarian brandished the weapon for them to see. "Not too bad, quite a small blade."

Feliciano stared, his stomach going sick. In her hand was not a knife at all, but rather a jagged piece of blood coated glass, with a piece of ripped sheet tied around the bottom for a handle. Elizaveta left it carefully on the side before hurrying back over to him, using a cloth to press down hard over the open wound, mopping up the blood. "There we go, that wasn't too bad was it?" she said sweetly, dabbing at his arm; Ludwig winced ever so slightly. "Now we'll get you all bandaged up and you'll be right as rain."

The Italian stared at Ludwig, his face had his usual grimace but it was clearly just from the pain in his arm, and not from what Elizaveta was saying to him. Feliciano was amazed she was being so patronising yet the German didn't seem to mind. He'd expected a sharp word or at least a glare but Ludwig seemed perfectly content to let her fuss over him in that motherly way she went about.

The bleeding eventually stopped and Hungary was able to wrap rather a lot of bandage around his entire upper arm. "Now the cut wasn't deep enough to do any real damage, but I'd try not to use this arm too much if you can help it sweetness." she said, securing the bandages and standing back up.

Ludwig nodded, carefully shifting his orange sleeve down to conceal the wound. "Alright."

Elizaveta smiled, she went to her desk and began shuffling around through the draws. The Hungarian sighed slightly, clicking her tongue. "Oh dear, I think I'm out of injury forms..." she stood back up with a frown and went to the plastic wallets pinned up on the wall that Feliciano was watching moments ago. Each wallet contained one of each type of form, forms for injuries, forms for illness and, Feliciano noticed with a shudder, a form to declare someone legally dead. Elizaveta slipped out the one injury form from the wallet and turned back to the two of them. "Sorry boys I'll just have to go and photocopy some more of these so you can sign one Ludwig, I'll be back in a moment." she gave them a cheery smile before disappearing out of the office, past Alfred and Arthur who were bickering quietly under their breath as they stood guard in the doorway.

Feliciano bit his lip, heart drumming anxiously as he sat alone with Ludwig in the brightly lit office. The German had returned to his unreadable, blank facial expression, yet the Italian thought that perhaps Ludwig was sneaking a glance at him every so often as he got that familiar uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched. Feliciano shifted awkwardly on the narrow bed, staring down at his hands now curled together in his lap, his left hand still throbbing painfully. The tension seemed to rapidly grow with each slow, passing moment and the Italian was begging Elizaveta in his mind to hurry.

Feliciano could have sworn he'd heard a grunt emit from the man beside him, as if clearing his throat. The Italian gave the German a discreet sideways glance, he was gritting his teeth, fingers drumming against the edge of the bed as if trying to bring himself to speak. Ludwig let out a frustrated sigh, making Feliciano jump. "Vargas." he muttered, a lot harsher than he may have intended. Feliciano looked nervously up at him; the German kept his eyes fixed ahead. "Look I think I..." he grimaced as he spoke. "...owe you an apology."

The Italian's eyes widened, that was the last thing he expected him to say. "...really?" he managed in a quiet whisper.

The German grudgingly gave a nod. "Ja, all those times I punched you...oh, und your hand." he added, glancing at the Italian's very red knuckles; Feliciano flexed them delicately. "Sorry about that." he muttered in a deadpan voice.

The Italian shrugged slightly. "It's okay." he hadn't been sure whether Ludwig was sincere or not but he was thankful for the gesture...even if he was still confused as to why it was needed in the first place. The silence resumed, even more intense after the brief words; Feliciano bit his lip, allowing himself a look at the German's arm, now bandaged up, a large blood stain soaking into the sheets on the bed. "...how did that happen?" he questioned, speaking so quietly he wondered whether Ludwig had heard him.

The German glanced at his arm, giving it a careful flex. "A riot broke out in the courtyard, und in the fight someone stabbed me from behind." he said coldly.

"You don't know who?" Feliciano asked softly.

Ludwig shook his head. "Nein, little bastard took off before I could see who it was...they always do that, fucking cowards." he spat bitterly; he clenched his fists but had to release them again with a sharp inhale, the movement irritating his wound.

Feliciano bit his lip as he watched. "It happens a lot?"

Germany nodded. "On occasion." he muttered.

The Italian seemed stunned, wide eyes shifting from the blood splattered glass on the counter to the German's arm. "But...I thought everyone in here was..." he stammered uneasily, heart lurching slightly when Ludwig's eyes suddenly fell on him. "...scared of you..." he finished in murmur.

Ludwig slowly raised an eyebrow; Feliciano swallowed slightly as the German's deep blue eyes bore into him. He shrugged, eyeing the shiv. "Ja, but I guess it's the only way they feel they can get some pay back." he said darkly, flexing his arm again. The Italian nodded, feeling uncomfortable once more. The German stared at him for a few silent moments before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Vargas look, I don't know whether you noticed, but reputation is everything in here." he said assertively. "There is a reason I hit you whenever you go all mushy on me." the Italian couldn't help blushing slightly as the blond said this. "It's not because I'm a jerk, it's so that no one in here thinks I'm going soft, you can't let yourself be seen that way, if you show any kind of weakness in here things go bad very quickly." he finished softly, gazing down at the blood stained sheets.

Feliciano stared too, eyes wide as guilt started to creep in. "...did...did they do that to you because of me?" he whispered in shock. "Because...I made you look weak?"

Ludwig shook his head. "Nein, like I said before it just happens during riots sometimes when some crafty bastard thinks they can get me when my back is turned." he muttered, carefully massaging his shoulder.

Feliciano smiled a little in relief, feeling slightly more at ease to hear it wasn't his fault. Elizaveta soon returned with a handful of forms. "I'm back, sorry about that sweeties..." she dropped them on the table and picked one up with a pen. "Okay Ludwig I'm going to need you to sign this." she said, filling in the description of the injury for him.

The German nodded. "Ja I know the procedure Miss." he muttered, taking the pen when she handed it to him; the German scrawled his name across the bottom. Feliciano watched, noting with befuddlement that Ludwig only wrote his first name, leaving the box for the last name blank.

Elizaveta took it back. "Thank you sweetie, let's hope this is the last time I see you for something like this." she said with a smile.

Ludwig got down from the bed, moving his arm carefully. "Somehow I doubt that..." he muttered, holding out his other hand to the Hungarian. "Thank you Miss Héderváry."

Elizaveta rolled her eyes fondly, holding out her arms. "You're so formal! Come here sweetie..." she pulled the German into a hug, gently squeezing him around the neck. Ludwig kept perfectly still, letting himself be hugged, his arms remained still at his side. She eventually pulled back, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Keep an eye on my little Italian sweetiepie won't you?" she whispered in his ear so Feliciano couldn't hear; the Hungarian pulled back, beaming brightly. "Okay off you go."

Ludwig gave her a grimace which could have almost been a smile, he strode out of the doorway to meet Alfred who was waiting to take him back to block D. Behind them Feliciano was still in a slight state of shock as he, with some difficulty, climbed down from the bed. "...Ludwig let you hug him." he murmured dazedly to Elizaveta.

She let out a slight giggle, shaking her head. "Is it really that surprising? Don't be silly...Ludwig's a big softy really..." Elizaveta laughed again as Feliciano's wide eyes widened further. "Okay he's not exactly soft, but he's not as bad as his reputation." she said more seriously now, giving the Italian a gentle hug. "He just puts up that bad boy front for protection."

The Italian leant into her, sighing heavily. "...I wish I could put up a front." he mumbled sadly.

Elizaveta smiled, kissing the top of his head. "Oh sweetie you'll be okay, trust me." she said reassuringly, rolling her eyes as she saw Arthur in the doorway, tapping his watch. "Well I better let you go, don't hesitate to come and see me anytime honeypie."

**~0~**

Feliciano went to bed that night feeling more at ease than he had done in a long time. Ludwig's explanation about why he received savage beatings every time he tried to thank the German in public had finally squashed all the confusion in his mind. Yes he still felt it a little harsh considering he was just being polite, but if it meant that the other inmates didn't see Ludwig as weak then he felt he could bear it. Not that he needed to, he just needed to learn not to show gratitude in public.

Easier said than done. However the Italian felt he'd made good headway with Ludwig today, he hadn't minded him visiting him in Elizaveta's office, and he'd talked to him normally without trying to frighten him, or with any threats. He thought about what Ludwig had told him about the stabbing being a random act of violence, and he shuddered. The fact that someone, or possibly a number of different people, would stab the German when they knew they could get away with it in the mayhem and confusion of a riot, just to assert some form of dominance over him. It made the Italian feel sick to think about it, just the way the people operated in here and reacted to one another; it was a whole different world.

The Italian yawned slightly, shifting onto his back to stare up at the German's bed above him. The bunk creaked with the movement but he could hear Ludwig's heavy breathing and Feliciano was certain he was already asleep. Lights out had been almost an hour ago and, despite the calm and mildly relaxed way he was feeling, the Italian couldn't seem to drift off. He closed his eyes, wriggled slightly into a more comfortable position and lay perfectly still. There we go; the drowsiness was now seeping up towards his head, body starting to go heavy as sleep was just on the horizon, ready to settle down into a deep slumber-

Feliciano gasped. A sudden, very distressed groan struck the empty cell, causing the Italian's heart to lurch right up into his throat. His eyes snapped open, hands gripping the sheets around him. Had he just imagined that sound? The cell was silent, but the disturbing noise still seemed to linger in the air. Feliciano eventually calmed down, relaxing his tensed body as he settled back down to sleep.

The Italian jumped as it sounded again, there was no mistaking it that time, or indeed the source, which was coming from right above his head. Feliciano gripped tighter on the sheets; Ludwig let out another groan, the bed shuddered violently as the German twisted and thrashed around on his bunk. Feliciano bit the back of his knuckle, his own body shaking as the man above him was only getting louder, his erratic movements shaking the entire bunk.

"G-G...Gil..." Ludwig choked out nonsensical words in his sleep, writhing and flailing as if in excruciating pain. "...n-no...don't...h-hang on...G-Gil don't..." The German let out an agonising, ear-piercing scream, and the bed gave a savage lurched as Ludwig shot bolt upright on his bunk, now wide awake.

Feliciano lay rigid in his own bed, heart pounding furiously in his chest as he stayed completely silent throughout the entire ordeal. He could hear Ludwig's heavy breathing again, only this time it sounded as though the breath was hitching in his chest. The Italian thought he could still feel the bed shaking as the German trembled violently on his bunk, wheezing and on the verge of hyperventilating. After what felt like an age, Ludwig slowly lowered himself back down to the bed, his breathing returning to a relatively normal register.

Feliciano slowly released the death hold grip he had on the sheets, letting out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. His heart was still beating a furious, uneasy rhythm at the shock at what had just happened. He must have lain there completely motionless for at least an hour before he forced his body to relax once more. Ludwig had fallen back to sleep, breathing unsteadily on the bunk above him. Feliciano bit his lip, shifting restlessly onto his side he curled up beneath the sheets; it was going to be a rough night.

* * *

**I have returned, hope it was worth the wait**

**Reviews are love :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Italy discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Feliciano had never thought himself to be a poor judge of character. Admittedly he could be very susceptible to trickery and misinterpretation, however once the Italian's mind had been set he found his assessment of people very unwilling to change. But as the young man took in the sight of his supposedly rampant, savage, cold-hearted German cellmate, he found that his perception was indeed once again being tested.

Ludwig was in his usual spot in the middle of his own personal table, breakfast was sat under his nose however he made no move to eat it. The German's strict composure and dominant stance was slumped into what Feliciano could only describe as a broken down man. His eyes were red raw and face sickly pale; no doubt a consequence of last night's intrusion, a clearly horrific nightmare. Yet Ludwig somehow still retained some of his power, no one else seemed to have picked up on these subtle declines in the German's pristine presence except the Italian. He wondered why that was.

Feliciano himself knew he must look a similar, though not nearly as rough, state to the German. Ludwig's hollowing cries and spine-chilling screams had prevented any slumbering he wanted to fall into last night. If it wasn't for the German's disarray appearance and his unfathomable silence when they awoke early that morning, Feliciano could have almost convinced himself he'd dreamt the whole thing.

He hadn't of course; it was all too real, and Feliciano was dying to know what had caused the German such pain, such twisted, emotional pain.

"Arthur..." Feliciano abandoned his breakfast tray on the serving station to sidle up to Brit, he thought it perhaps in Ludwig's best interest if the Brit knew what was going on.

Arthur looked up, smiling kindly, "Oh hi Feliciano, are you doing okay? I noticed you were getting along a lot better with Ludwig yesterday." he said, thinking back to the day before where he'd witnessed what could almost be described as a friendly conversation between the two inmates in Elizaveta's office.

Feliciano nodded, smiling slightly himself, "Sì, but I think that's just because he's tired of being mean to me..." he said with a shrug, gazing over at the German at the other end of the cafeteria.

Arthur gave him a brief glance as well. "Perhaps, but that's not necessarily a bad thing." he said with a shrug.

The Italian nodded slowly. "Sì...um, Arthur..." he said quietly, turning to the Brit.

"Yes?"

Feliciano bit his lip, hoping he was making the right choice. "Last night...Ludwig was making really strange noises...and moving around a lot." he said delicately.

Arthur sighed slightly, "Oh yes I heard it happened again from Alfred this morning, he was on night watch last night." he informed him without so much as note of surprise in his voice.

Italy stared at him. "Again?" he asked in astonishment.

The Brit nodded, quite despondent. "Recurring night terrors, it happens quite a lot actually, scares some of the other inmates half to death the way he wails like a demented psychiatric patient in the night."

"That's awful..." Feliciano gasped, covering his open mouth. He bit the top of his knuckle, eyes drifting over to the melancholy German. "...he kept saying weird things." the Italian murmured softly, he had a sudden brain wave. "...hey...it wasn't anything to do with why he's in here, was it?" he asked the Brit thoughtfully.

Arthur suddenly looked quite awkward. "I...I wouldn't know." he muttered.

Feliciano's gaze shifted from Ludwig to the Brit, biting his bottom lip as desperate curiosity was getting the better of him. "Arthur, do you think you could tell me...why Ludwig's in here?" he asked slowly.

"No, I can't." Arthur said, surprising firm and straight to the point.

Feliciano frowned in confusion. "Oh...are you sure?"

Arthur sighed, "Yes, I'm sorry Feliciano but that's one of our most important rules in here, prisoner confidentiality, we're not really even supposed to discuss the crimes amongst us guards, but especially not with other inmates...for protection." he clarified.

"Protection?" Feliciano inquired.

The Brit nodded, lowering his voice slightly as he spoke to the Italian. "You may not think it, but people in here do understand the concept of indecency, certain crimes are still considered barbaric and inhumane even by men who have committed crimes of their own." he sighed inwardly as Feliciano gave him a vacant look. "...you know...sexual assaults, particularly on children." he muttered, sending the Italian's eyebrows skyrocketing. "We have to keep details of inmate's crimes secret otherwise their lives would be in serious danger, especially inmates incarcerated for _those _reasons, prisoners who have children of their own would be out to kill them."

Feliciano nodded slowly as he understood. A wave of nausea suddenly flipped his stomach and made him feel sick. "...and Ludwig, he's not, I mean he didn't...?" he stammered with wide eyes.

The Brit shook his head. "No. I can tell you than much at least, no it's nothing to do with anything of that nature." he said firmly.

"Oh right..." Feliciano said quietly with a sigh of relief. The Italian was drawn to the German again; he'd been in prison long enough to build up a reputation for himself, and long enough for his night terrors to be renowned. He bit his lip in thought, "...can you tell me how long his sentence is?" he asked the Brit.

"Life." Arthur replied shortly.

Again the Italian's stomach suddenly felt quite sick, "Really? So...so what he did must have been really bad!" he squeaked, his chest giving that familiar clench of unease.

Feliciano could have sworn he saw a flicker of something cross the Brit's face, as is practising serious restraint, but perhaps he imagined it. "...right well I better get off." he muttered hurriedly, spotting Alfred some way off he swiftly tried to make his way over.

"Wait Arthur..." Feliciano called, going after him, sidestepping around a large crowded table, and giving it a wide girth, to reach the Brit. "...do you think Ludwig would tell me about his crime? I mean...if I asked?" he questioned in a whisper.

Arthur took a long time to answer, large eyebrows creasing with the struggle in his mind. "I don't know Feliciano, it might just be safer to never mention it." he said awkwardly, glancing back at Alfred's annoyed face. "...however," he muttered, turning back to the Italian. "If curiosity does get the better of you I'd warn you be careful about what you say...and more important than that...be understanding."

With that, the Brit went after his friend, or boyfriend, or spouse...whatever those two were, and left the Italian alone. Feliciano wasn't quite as scared as he used to be now that the other inmates seemed to think he was indeed Ludwig's bitch, and therefore off limits, the German defending him countless times had proved that enough. The Italian's breakfast had vanished from the serving station, someone had clearly helped themselves, he didn't care. The door to the courtyard was already open anyway and Feliciano could go out for a walk and think long and hard about how to bring up the subject of Ludwig's crime...

**~0~**

Feliciano was surprised by what Ludwig did the second they were let back into their cell in the afternoon. He'd spent an intensely awkward lunch sat with the dismal blond, whereby the German didn't eat a thing, and the Italian was dreading the even heavier solitude that would follow when they were finished and went back to their confinement...he was tempted to go about finding some work again to avoid the situation.

But rather than collapse onto his bunk and stare blankly up at the ceiling for hours on end; the German instead slid into the seat opposite Feliciano at the small wooden table beside the toilet in their cell. He produced an old pack of playing cards from the pockets of his jumpsuit and began laying out the cards across the table in a solitaire pattern. Ludwig then began to play the game silently; he hadn't once acknowledged Feliciano's presence in the cell as he started stacking the cards into their suits.

For a long while the Italian watched him. Not his hands moving across the table, but rather the concentration in his face, deep lines creasing across his forehead as he focused on the game in play. Feliciano's left leg began jittering slightly under the table and he placed a hand on his knee to stop the quivers. He was anxious to talk to the German about his incarceration, but how would he even begin to approach him about it? The Italian swallowed heavily, heart lurching every time Ludwig's hands halted their movement when he was thinking about his next move and Feliciano thought he was going to catch him looking at him.

Eventually the blond must have felt he was being watched because his striking blue eyes suddenly shot up to match Feliciano's, who didn't avert his gaze in time. "...what?" he grunted with a frown.

Feliciano blinked rapidly, leg jittering again. "What?" he squeaked involuntarily.

"Why are you staring at me?" Ludwig muttered, his eyes were still staring, unblinking, yet they didn't hold their usual darkness.

"I'm not staring." Italy blurted out, dropping his head to the table at Ludwig's suddenly very interesting card game.

The German rolled his eyes, going back to the cards. Feliciano bit his lip, his heart hammering uncomfortably as his mind desperately prodded him to ask Ludwig what he'd done, to find a way of bringing it up. He let his eyes drift back up to the blonds' face, searching for clues. This time Ludwig didn't even need to look up to know he was being stared at.

"Stop it." he growled.

The Italian gulped, eyes darting away, "Wha..."

Ludwig sighed in frustration, slapping the card he was holding down on the table. "Stop feigning confusion, you know what I mean!" he snapped, glaring at him. "Just..." he trailed off, clenching his jaw, "...stop staring at me, it's creeping me out." the German hissed, forcing himself to go back to his game. His teeth grit together as he tried to concentrate on the cards in hand but Feliciano's presence was still causing him distress. "What now?" he said coldly, his head still lowered to the table.

The Italian looked incredibly confused; he hadn't even been staring that time. He shifted awkwardly in his chair. "I...I didn't say-"

"You didn't have to." Germany muttered, glaring up at him. "I can see it in your stupid face, you want to say something but you're too spineless." he shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell do you think I'll do to you if you talk to me?"

Feliciano's jaw quivered slightly, squirming under Ludwig's stare. "You...you told me not to talk to you...ever." he managed in a shaky whisper.

Ludwig slowly raised an eyebrow, "...if that rule still applied do you think we'd be talking right now?"

"...no?" Feliciano squeaked out in a questioning tone.

Germany rolled his eyes. "You're a genius, you know that?" he muttered; the German leant back in his seat, folding his hands together on top of the table. "Well go on."

"What?"

"What do you want to say?" he said deliberately slowly.

Feliciano bit his lip, "Um..."

"Go on, you might as well say it." the German grunted, cracking his knuckles together with boredom.

The Italian jumped slightly, the German's hands actions unnerving him to no end. "...it's um...it's..." he stuttered nervously, legs shaking beneath the table.

Ludwig lost what little patience he had. "Just spit it out!" he barked.

"Everyone thinks I'm your bitch!" Feliciano cried out suddenly, eyes screwed shut and hunching over in his chair. The Italian was shocked with himself for the sudden unexpected outburst, it was certainly not what he'd wanted to say, but under the pressure and fear of the German's reaction to his real question it was the first thing that came to mind.

When Feliciano peeked out of one eye he was relieved to see Ludwig didn't look angry, more confused and disgruntled. "...und I should care because...?" he muttered.

The Italian swallowed slightly, straitening up "You...but you said I'm not, that...that I should deny it, if...if people ask-"

"...und have people been asking?" The German queried, his eyebrow ascending.

"...no."

"Well then." Ludwig grunted, leaning over the table slightly he picked up the cards again. "Deny it if they ask, but if those fucking morons still think so otherwise then that's their problem. I don't care, doesn't damage my reputation." he muttered, eyes scanning the table top as he continued his game.

Feliciano nodded shortly, knotting his hands together between his knees that were still quaking. His heart thumping an uneasy rhythm; the Italian cleared his throat. "Ludwig..."

"...what?" the German muttered, eyes focused on the table.

Feliciano bit his lip, "That's not what I wanted..." he whispered.

Ludwig's head slowly rose to stare at him. "What?"

The Italian squeezed his hands together to prevent them from shaking. "...that's not what I wanted to tell you I...I wanted to ask you something." he said quietly.

Ludwig seemed intrigued. "...ja?"

Feliciano winced slightly as he spoke. "I...I wanted to know if...if you're okay talking about it, I mean I...I won't tell anyone I swear! I just keep wondering, especially with what happen last night-"

"What about last night!?" The German suddenly barked across the table with wide eyes.

The Italian jumped violently in his chair, heart rate rapidly increasing. "...just that...that you sounded um...you were kind of screaming-" he stopped himself immediately when he saw the look on Ludwig's face, it was slowly reddening, veins bursting forth on his forehead. Feliciano squeaked in fright, trembling in his seat. "S-Sorry, I-I won't bring it up again! I-"

"...what did you want to ask me?" Ludwig asked slowly, his temper reigned back yet his dark eyes never once left Feliciano's.

The younger man didn't want to enrage him any further, with a soft, shaking voice he quietly answered. "...I wanted to know what you're in here for."

Ludwig's eyes narrowed with suspicion, suspicion and just a little confusion. "Why would you want to know that?" he muttered slowly, shaking his head. "It'll just give you nightmares." he grunted, tearing his eyes away to look at the forgotten cards.

"...not any worse than yours." Feliciano let slip before he could stop himself.

He clamped a hand to his mouth in shock, eyes wide as the German's head shot up to glare at him. Ludwig took a deep, slow breath in through his nose, jaw clenched. "Fine, Vargas...I'm in here for life because I killed a man, okay? I'm a murderer." he growled, slapping down the card he was holding so hard the table shuddered.

Alarms bells went off in Feliciano's head, he'd spent the last few hours contemplating all sorts of wild ideas about what Ludwig may have done to land himself in here, and indeed thoughts of that nature had most certainly crossed his mind, but actually having it confirmed that this man sat in front of him was a murderer filled him with absolute dread. "O-Oh..." a tremble went right down Feliciano's spine, dear God, he was sharing a cell with a murderer, he was sat just inches away from a man who had taken a life! He felt suddenly sick with fear, he couldn't even feel his heart beating anymore.

Ludwig gave him a dark grimace. "Great." he spat, eyelid twitching ever so slightly. "I've just scarred you, haven't I?" the younger man said nothing, trying with such intense focus to steady his body as it shook under Ludwig's glare. Feliciano saw something dark flash in the German's eyes. In a outburst of sudden fury the table between them was smashed to the floor with one swift movement of Ludwig's fist, sending the cards scattering to the to all corners of the cell.

Feliciano fell backwards in his chair from the shock, landing hard on the stone floor he desperately scrambled away on his hands and knees, his back met the wall as the German rounded on him. "Ludwig please! Please don't!" the Italian cried, body trembling uncontrollably, fearful tears springing to his eyes.

"Please don't what!?" Ludwig screamed into the young man's frightened face, a blazing fire in his eyes. "KILL YOU!? Is that what you wanted to say!?" he thundered, fisting a hand into the Italian's jumpsuit he yanked him off the floor, crushing him against the wall. "Because that's all you think of me now isn't it!?" he spat into the young man's face.

Feliciano was paralyzed with fear, shaking internally as the German had him trapped to the wall. "W-What? Ludwig...n-no that wasn't-"

"What you think I'm some kind of cold blooded killer is that it!?" Ludwig snarled, fists trembling with rage. "Slice a man's throat for fun und leave him to die!? You think I'm that psychotic!?"

Feliciano desperately shook his head, tears spurting down his face. "N-No! I never said that!" he cried.

"You're just like EVERYBODY else!" Ludwig lashed out, his face completely livid. "They hear the word murder und then their minds are closed, ANY justification falls on death ears und I am labelled with the title of a HEARTLESS BLOOD THIRSTY KILLER!" he bellowed, fingers digging harshly into the Italian's shoulders. "Well I've got news for you! YOU WEREN'T THERE! YOU DON'T KNOW MY STORY! SO HOW DARE YOU STAND THERE UND JUDGE ME!" Ludwig exploded, his voice thundering so loudly and his face so close to Feliciano's he sprayed him with spit.

The Italian felt liked his shoulders were going to give way under the pressure from Ludwig's crushing hands. Feliciano was reduced to a whimpering mess, tears dripping down his face. His breath hitched suddenly in his chest as his German released him; Ludwig growled deep in his throat, storming to the other end of the cell where he sank onto the Italian's bed, elbows resting on his knees, head lowered to glower at the floor.

Feliciano's heart was pounding so hard he couldn't be sure it would ever be normal again. His body was frozen rigid against the wall, wide eyes locked on the German. For several tense minutes that's the way they stayed, at opposite ends of the cell, Feliciano watching Ludwig who was staring at the floor, the only sound was from the German's intense, heavy breathing. Eventually his breathing quietened down, and Feliciano twitched his fingers, attempting to move.

Still trembling ever so slightly, the Italian took slow steps towards the blond. He thought about Ludwig's words, how everyone jumped to assumptions about him when discovering who he was, what he was...and the Italian's involuntary fearful reaction clearly didn't help matters. Feliciano actually felt rather guilty for what had just happened; the German was right, he didn't know what had happened, what his reasons were, no matter what they may be.

Feliciano sat down slowly beside the German on the edge of his bed, keeping a good space between them. Ludwig remained perfectly still yet the sound of his breathing increased just the tiniest bit. The Italian gulped back his fear, opening his mouth to speak.

"Tell me."

Ludwig slowly looked up, eyes narrowed. "What?"

Feliciano turned on the bed to face him. "Tell me what happened." he whispered.

"You wouldn't understand." Ludwig grunted, lowering his head again.

Italy bit his lip. "Then help me."

Ludwig sat up properly this time. "What?"

"Help me to understand." Feliciano said softly, gazing up at him. "...please."

The German shook his head. "Why the hell do you want to know?" he growled.

"...because I know you want to tell me." the Italian murmured, hands knotted together on his lap. "...you want to justify yourself to me."

Ludwig glared at him. "That isn't what I want!" he snapped irritably, jabbing his finger in the Italian's chest. "I don't give a damn what you think of me!"

Feliciano shuddered slightly at the tone he took, but he wouldn't cower away. He continued to gaze at him. "...then will you tell me because I asked?" he whispered, shifting ever so slightly closer to him.

Ludwig still had that disgruntled, disapproving look about his features, but he remained with Feliciano on the bed. The Italian could see his inner mind working furiously, desperate to come up with a counter argument. With a hefty, deep sigh the German relented, threading a hand into the hair at the back of his neck he took a calming breath, his face slowly returning to a neutral expression.

"The man I killed..." Ludwig started softly, deliberately avoiding the Italian's eyes. "I took away his life, because he took away mine." Feliciano opened his mouth to voice his confusion when the German carried on. "Everything I had was gone in the blink of an eye, taken by his hand...no reason, und no second chances, my life was over." he muttered, hunching over his lap as he ran his fingers across his head. "...I know murder isn't exactly seen in a good light, but if you'd lost everything...und the man who had done it, had caused you such pain, was standing right in front of you..." he sat up with his hands on the back of his neck, staring up at the ceiling with a misted look in his eyes. "...what would you do?" he whispered in hollow voice

Feliciano stared at him, clasping his hands together as they shook. "...how did he take everything from you?" he asked quietly. Ludwig closed his eyes, inhaling sharply before he spoke, a slight quiver in his voice.

"That man killed my brother."

* * *

**Yeah even I'm wondering when their connection is going to start...hah**

**Reviews are love :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Italy discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Feliciano held his breath. Ludwig had stopped speaking and seemed unlikely to continue; the German stared at the floor with blank eyes, his expression unreadable. The Italian had always found himself to be a great listener, and had been told countless times that his solace and sound advice had gotten people through some tough times. It was never normally he'd be in a situation where he just didn't know what to say, how to respond to such a chilling answer. The man sat next to him on the narrow bunk had just revealed that the death of his brother had been the cause for him being put inside, caused him to commit the heinous act of murder.

The growing silence was becoming unbearable; Feliciano needed to say something, anything to get Ludwig to talk. Something the British prison guard had once told him swept across his mind; 'He doesn't have a family, he had a brother once...' and that's when it all made sense. Feliciano cleared his throat; it had gone dry, and croaked out a new question. "...and he was...your only family?"

Ludwig released his hold on the back of his neck, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he leant over on his knees, elbows resting on the top of his broad legs. "He wasn't just that." he muttered, vacant stare fixed on the cold floor. "He was my best friend, my reason for living...the only person I had in this gott verdammt world." Ludwig's voice took on a harsh tone, his fists clenching ever so slightly on top of his legs, causing him to wince slightly as he irritated his bandaged arm.

Feliciano watched him carefully. "...how come you had no one else?" he asked quietly, pressing on.

The German was silent for a few moments and the Italian worried he'd pushed it too far. He was about to apologise when Ludwig suddenly sat up on the bunk, hands braced on his knees. "Because I didn't have a family." he said sharply, turning to look at the Italian; the German sighed at Feliciano's confused expression. "Gilbert wasn't my real brother, okay? I don't have parents, und neither did he, we grew up in the same orphanage." Ludwig sounded annoyed and the Italian shrunk in on himself slightly. He took a few moments to calm down before he carried on, speaking softer as he focused his attention back on the floor at his feet.

"I'd spent my whole life there, almost straight from birth..." he muttered, tracing his fingers gently through his hair. "...abandoned on their doorstep as a newborn with no trace of my parents, the social workers tried to track them; I was taken to the hospital but there was no record anywhere of my birth." the German briefly shut his eyes, "...und I was given a name by some nurse who was working there."

Feliciano was reminded of the German signing only his first name on that medical form. "They didn't give you a last name?"

Ludwig looked across at him, quirking an eyebrow. "What last name would they give me? They had no idea who I was...they didn't see it as important, und I guess it wasn't to them." he said, his voice softening even more as he spoke. Feliciano didn't respond and the German carried on, opening up to this complete stranger. He did look away however, finding that he couldn't talk to the Italian whilst they held eye contact. "I was taken back to the orphanage und made available for adoption...but that's where I stayed. After five years in the nursery I was finally moved into the main building to live with the older children...und it was there where I first met Gilbert." a slight smile played in Ludwig's voice as he said his brother's name.

"I didn't really notice him much at first; I was shy und afraid of the other children because I was so much younger than them. They picked on me und wouldn't let me play with them or join in any games, even the social workers seemed to steer clear of me, they wouldn't give a brat like me the time of day." Ludwig spat with venom, voice shaking ever so slightly. "We were schooled in the orphanage und the bullying carried on even in the classroom, children my own gott verdammt age didn't want anything to do with me."

Feliciano listened intently beside him, gazing with wonder at the German's ever changing facial expressions. Ludwig's anger subsided slightly as he continued. "Then one day, a few weeks after I'd been moved into the main orphanage, I'd managed to join in a game of football that was going on outside, und during the game one of the older boys pushed me over in the mud." the Italian bit his lip slightly, however the German's anger remained suppressed. "...I sat up und I wanted to cry und run back inside, but then this really loud, obnoxious kid who was younger than that boy just came out of nowhere und tackled him to the ground." there was almost a smirk in his voice now. "It sent him off the pitch crying his eyes out und then the loud kid starting running around und shouting about how awesome he was." Ludwig was definitely smirking now, it was happiest the Italian had seen him. "My brother." he clarified with a glance at Feliciano.

"He was sent inside for rough housing, but I remember how he looked back at me whilst I was still in the mud und smiled, und I just stared...und even though he was older than me, I wasn't afraid of him." Ludwig murmured softly, the tiniest smile stretching his lips. "From that moment on Gilbert und I were inseparable. Everyday we spent together in the orphanage; Gilbert showed me everything he knew, he showed me how to break into the kitchens at night when we wanted to have our own midnight feast; he gave me dirt on all the other orphans und showed me how to exploit that knowledge." the German said, shaking his head fondly. "He even...he even wrote me a Christmas card und signed it from Santa Claus when I was six, he put in under my pillow so I thought Santa had left it for me on Christmas Eve..." he muttered sheepishly, looking a little embarrassed.

A smile sprung to Feliciano's lips, and he dared to inch a little closer to Ludwig, feeling strangely at ease for the first time being with him. Ludwig hadn't noticed and kept going, no intention of stopping now. "We never spent a second away from each other, he even pushed his bed all the way across the dorm to fix to mine so we could sleep next to each other." the German said with his almost smile back in place. "All the other children hated us, tried to ignore us und pick on us but we didn't care. Gilbert wouldn't take shit from anyone, not even the teenagers, und he taught me to do the same, to not be afraid..." he trailed off quietly, leaning back down over his knees.

The Italian saw something cross the German's face. His lips twitched into their usual grimace and that light of happiness that had been dancing in his blue eyes disappeared. "But then that all ended." he muttered darkly, his hands knotting together on top of his legs. "When Gilbert was twelve, a middle aged couple came to look around the orphanage, they wanted an older child because of their age...und unfortunately they took a shine to Gilbert." Ludwig's shoulders deflated and he curled his rough knuckles into the hair at the back of his neck. "If he'd have known it would mean being away from me, I'm certain he would have done everything humanly possible to not get adopted. But I can't really blame him, as much fun as I had with Gilbert the orphanage was still a terrible place to be, und deep down it was every child's dream...even mine..." he added softly. "...to one day be rescued by a family."

"Gilbert got lucky. Children that old never normally get picked, couples only ever want babies. By the time I reached five years old I'd realised that, I'd realised that any hope I had of adoption had passed...I mean what kind of loved-up young couple wants to waste their time with a problem child?" Ludwig grumbled bitterly, fingers twitching on the back of his head. "Nein...when I moved in with the older children I knew we were all in the same spot, just waiting for the glorious day of legal adulthood when we could finally leave."

The Italian felt an anxious squeeze in in his stomach as the German returned to his dark, harsh way of speaking. "But until that day I had so many miserable years alone." Ludwig's voice was trembling again. "The couple who adopted him were Mr and Mrs Beilschmidt. Gilbert wasn't taken straight away though, they visited him a few times in the orphanage und took him on day trips to spend time with him und get to know him. A couple of times they even brought me along with them because Gil wanted me to come." a brief smile tugged at his words but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "...but then after a few months he was sat down und they, as well as the social workers, asked him if it was okay for them to adopt him, und Gil, Gott bless him, accepted because he thought they were going to take me as well."

The German shook his head, "They didn't of course, und he had to leave me..." he muttered softly, his voice heavy, but Ludwig smiled again. "He still visited, almost every day after school he'd come to the orphanage to see me. They wouldn't let him take me out anywhere until he was an adult, but we used to sit in the garden together for hours until he had to go home...he had lied to his parents und told them he was spending his time at after school classes."

Feliciano looked at him curiously. "Why's that?"

Ludwig let out an annoyed grunt. "The Beilschmidt's hated me." he spat darkly. "They tried to hide it from me but as Gil und I got older it became clear; they wanted Gilbert as their son but they hated our relationship. They were hoping that Gil would forget about me once he'd left the orphanage, but he never did, he still saw me as often as possible." he paused for a moment, sighing softly, "...I remember the first night I spent without him, I was only eight, und the bed was so empty...but thankfully by that time Gil had taught me to stand on my own feet, defend myself und not get pushed around...but it wasn't the same without him."

The German grit his teeth. "The only thing I had in my depressing life to look forward to were his visits...und then, after ten miserable years of waiting in that hell hole, I was free." Feliciano listened intently, eyes wide with intrigue. "Gilbert came to take me away the day I turned eighteen und was allowed to leave, he was twenty-two by this point but he'd waited for me, he hadn't gone off to find a job or to start a life for himself...he was waiting to start his life with me." Ludwig said softly, that flicker of light back in his eyes.

"Needless to say his parents were distraught with rage, all those years they thought Gilbert had forgotten me only to learn I was there ready to ruin their son's life all over again...they refused to let me stay with them when Gil brought me to their home, so do you know what Gilbert did?" Ludwig asked the Italian's confused face, smirking slightly. "Packed up his bag, flipped them off on the doorstep und we left."

The Italian smiled just slightly, but Ludwig's face distorted. "I felt so guilty." he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "I felt as though I was the reason Gilbert never had a real family, he had a chance for real parents who loved him und cared about him und I took that away..." he said in a hollow voice; Feliciano opened his mouth to speak but the German continued. "But Gil said he only cared about me, his brother, that all we needed in this world was each other, the way we'd always dreamt of." the light in his eyes was back, a soft little smile tugging at his lips. "It would be exactly like our plans, the plans that we'd set out und drawn together back in the orphanage on those rainy days sat inside."

Ludwig smirked, glancing at Feliciano with a raised eyebrow. "Und you know what? It really was. I mean granted we didn't have the swimming pool or the water slide or the magic money tree like we used to dream about as kids..." Italy smiled a little at this. "All we had was a tiny one bedroom flat above a shop und the stuff we could carry on our backs. But that was all we needed, we travelled the world, Gilbert und I, we met people und worked all over the place, doing night shifts und manual labour just to scrape by...und if we didn't have the rent we'd just sleep in the park or on the beach, we just didn't give a shit." the German laughed slightly, shaking his head. "I couldn't imagine myself doing anything like that alone, it sounds horrific." he agreed when he saw the Italian grimace slightly at his story. "But with Gil it was our life, und we loved it that way." Ludwig murmured softly, his smile more prominent than the Italian had ever seen it.

Feliciano dared to smile back at him even though the German wasn't looking at him, it was unusual to see Ludwig with a smile on his usually cold, hostile face. But now that he was the Italian felt it suited him quite well, it lit up his face and made him seem so much more youthful, full of life and, dare he say it, rather attractive. Feliciano didn't want their conversation to end, and he blurted out the next thing that came to his mind. "...so what happened to him?" the Italian regretted it the moment the question left his lips. It was as if an angelic harp chord had snapped within the German, his smile slowly crept back into a frown; the light was extinguished from his eyes. Feliciano swallowed slightly as he realised he'd struck a nerve. "...Ludwig?" he whispered anxiously, biting his lip.

The German's eyes dulled as he gazed forlorn at the floor at his feet. "It was my fault." he said suddenly into the harsh silence. "I should have been fighting my own battles." he muttered, trailing off into a whisper.

Feliciano felt slightly sick with guilt. "...you don't have to tell me anything else, if you don't want to." he said softly, hand twitching to touch the German in a comforting way but he repressed the urge.

Ludwig glanced next to him and the Italian shivered slightly at the complete absence of any warmth in the German's face. He sighed, running his fingers through his short, blond hair. "Well I've told you this much, I might as well carry on." he muttered, leaning back he rested his head on the edge of his own bunk behind him. "...he was killed in a bar...Gilbert was defending me from this guy who was threatening to kill me, but it was Gil whose life he took instead."

Feliciano watched him sadly, that urge to comfort and consol resurfacing. "...why would anyone want to kill you?" he asked softly.

The German sighed. "Because around where we lived being openly gay wasn't an okay thing...und this man had just found out that his adult son was gay und that I'd slept with him." he muttered coldly. "So naturally rather than just accepting his son's sexuality he blamed it on me...he showed up at the bar Gil und I were at, most likely blind drunk, und started threatening und yelling abuse at me." Ludwig's face twitched slightly. "I just tried to ignore him, I didn't really like fighting und I was freaked out by confrontations...but Gilbert," the German gave a harsh laugh. "he wouldn't stand for it, to see me being treated that way, he stood up to him all because of me und look what happened...stabbed to death with a broken beer bottle." Ludwig said slowly, voice trembling as he spoke.

Feliciano silently watched the German until the slight shakes in his shoulders were reduced; he thought back to the original purpose of the discussion, about how he'd ended up inside. "...so what did you do?" the Italian questioned quietly. Ludwig slowly turned on the bunk to properly face him, dark eyes boring into the Italian's own.

"I went insane."

**~0~**

_Ludwig slumped over the bar slightly as he drained the last few drops of his sixth or seventh beer, a warm, bubbling sensation pleasantly filling his stomach. On a stool beside him the silver haired, red eyed face of his older brother grinned at him. "Another beer?" he sounded more like he was demanding rather then asking._

_The German shook his head as he sat back up. "I think I've had enough."_

_"Lies!" Gilbert said with a laugh, "Two more beers!" he shouted down the bar at the annoyed looking bar man, hammering his fists on the surface of the bar, shaking the empty beer bottles congregating around the two of them._

_Two refills were placed in front of them and Germany smirked as his brother handed the bar man a note. "If we spend anymore money on beer we won't have enough to pay the rent this month, Miss Mona will kick us our on our asses." he muttered, taking a sip of his new drink._

_"So let the old biddy kick us out!" Gilbert cackled, throwing his arms up in the air. "Who cares? Open roads where you want to be anyway Ludwig."_

_"Maybe it's where you want to be, bruder." Ludwig said with a raised eyebrow._

_"It's where we're going little brother." Gilbert said, flinging an arm around the blonds' shoulders. "Out into the big wide world."_

_Ludwig rolled his eyes, taking another sip of beer. "The world seems overrated."_

_"Ha! How can you say that? Remember Paris?" Gilbert asked with a mischievous glint in his dark red eyes._

_The German couldn't help but grin, he shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dear Gott, you're lucky you weren't arrested." he muttered with chuckle._

_Gilbert laughed. "The awesome me did nothing wrong! Those stuffy French guys just couldn't handle my awesomeness." he said arrogantly, taking a swing of beer._

_Ludwig shook his head. "I'm sure going up the Eiffel Tower naked is illegal no matter how awesome the individual." he said with a smirk._

_Gilbert snorted through his drink. "Und they call themselves the country of love!"_

_"There is no love in anything you do Gil." the German muttered with a smile, leaning over the bar._

_Gilbert grinned at him. "More lies little brother, you never cease to amaze the awesome me. Do I really need to give you an example of my love?" he asked, his eyebrows waggling slightly._

_Ludwig smirked, "Still going on about that? It's been two years, let it go Gilbert."_

_"Well maybe I should just pack my back and head back to my parents! Since you clearly don't need me." Gilbert said with a pout, folding his arms across his chest._

_"Feel free." the German said jokingly. "If they'll have you back that is."_

_Gilbert burst out laughing. "As if! They'd probably open fire if I ever stepped back on their doorstep, they hate me now!" he cried, carrying on laughing, banging his hand on top of the bar._

_Ludwig felt that familiar knot of guilt, he took a sip of beer, nodding slightly. "Hmm."_

_Gilbert looked up when he recognised it. "Ludwig." he said firmly, swivelling around on his bar stool to properly face the blond, all laughter gone from his voice now. "You know I don't give a fuck about them, I didn't need them."_

_"You might have if I wasn't around." Ludwig muttered, running a hand across the back of his neck._

_"That's a lie." Gilbert insisted. "Whether or not I'd even met them, let alone been their son, it'd be no different, I'd still be here right now with you." he said softly, placing a heavy hand on his brother's broad shoulder._

_Ludwig sighed slightly. "You can't know that." he muttered._

_"Yes I can." Gilbert said with a smile, squeezing the German's shoulder. "Our real parents chucked us away so that we could find each other, I didn't need any replacement parents, not when I had my awesome little brother, it's all I wanted and you're all I need." he leant his head gently against Ludwig's. "We're all we need."_

_Ludwig smirked slightly in disbelief. "You're so corny." he said softly, shaking his head._

_Gilbert grinned. "Am I lying?"_

_"Nein." Ludwig muttered, pulling his brother into a hug._

_The brotherly moment was all too swiftly cut short by a loud intrusion. The bar they were in was rather crowded and noisy at the best of times, but even that didn't drown out the bellow of, "OI!" from somewhere in the crowd that seemed to be directed at the two brother's at the bar._

_Gilbert turned around on his stool, eyebrows knitted in confusion. A large, balding man who looked far too old to be in a bar like this, was pushing his way through the crowds and heading towards them, dark eyes fixed straight at them. Gilbert nudged his brother. "Was that to us?"_

_He shoved a few people out of his way. "OI FAGGOTS!" the man thundered towards the bar, his rounded fat face deep red with rage, veins pulsing on his neck and all the way down to his large arms._

_Ludwig stared at him, his stomach dropping. "Oh Gott..."_

_Gilbert looked at Ludwig and back to the man. "Who's that?" he asked, poking his brother again._

_The German swallowed slightly. "...that's Johan's father, Gerard." he muttered._

_Gilbert's red eyes widened. "Shit."_

_"Ja..."_

_Gerard finally emerged from the crowd and reached the bar, he immediately homed in on Ludwig, breathing fire as he rounded on the young man. "Thought you could hide from me did you?" he growled._

_Ludwig kept his face neutral, trying to hide any fear. "I...didn't think you were looking for me in all honestly." he said calmly._

_Gilbert snorted with laughter, his brother shot him a dark look but Gerard had already heard it. "You think this is funny!?" he snarled. "You and your little faggy bum buddy having a laugh at my expense!?" his body shook with rage, his eyes popping out of his fat head. He snapped back to Ludwig and advanced on him, almost pressed right against him. "Did you think I was just going to stand by while you DISGRACE my family!?" he yelled into the frightened young man's face._

_People around them had gone quiet and were starting to look over. Gilbert glared at Gerard, getting down from his stool he hit the man's shoulder hard to get him away from his brother. "Look why don't you just fuck off pal?"_

_"Gilbert don't bother." Ludwig said quietly, feeling his face heating up as people were staring over._

_"No, let him speak." Gerard said almost with a hint of amusement. He fixed his dark eyes on Gilbert, slowly approaching him. "What did you just say to me, faggot?"_

_Gilbert saw Ludwig wince out of the corner of his eye. He clenched his jaw, shooting daggers at Gerard with his eyes. "Stop using that fucking word." he spat._

_"I'll say whatever the fuck I like you disgusting little homo." Gerard glowered, jabbing Gilbert in the chest._

_Gilbert glared at him, shoving the offending hand away. "Okay, first of all I am his brother und not his boyfriend," he said indicating to Ludwig; Gerard seemed a little taken back. "I'm not gay I like women, und I can guarantee that I've gotten laid more times in the last few years than a little punk ass like you has in your entire sad little existence." he growled with a smirk._

_"Gil..." Ludwig sighed, hiding his face in his hands._

_Gilbert regarded him briefly but continued, his amusement vanished and his voice darkened. "But I won't fucking stand for you saying anything against my brother." he snarled into Gerard's red face._

_"HE TURNED MY SON GAY!" Gerard bellowed, clenched fists trembling at his sides, almost everyone in the bar was staring now. "I'm not here to talk to you." he spat in dismissal, advancing on Ludwig once again the German backed into the bar, staring at Gerard with wide eyes. "Listen to me you fucking sausage jockey." he snapped, fat fists braced on the bar either side of Ludwig, trapping him. "If I ever see you near my son again I swear to God I'll tie a rope to your testicles and drag you around town with a horse until they're yanked off." he said in a low, sinister voice; Ludwig's face paled and he had to resist the urge to shudder. Gerard leant in closer as he continued, deranged eyes locked onto the German's own. "Then I'll leave you in a ditch to die a slow painful death from blood loss, faggots like you don't deserve to live."_

_Ludwig was too shocked and terrified to speak, sat shaking on his stool as Gerard stared him down. Gilbert was also shaking, with tremors of pure, blood boiling rage. "How dare you talk to my brother like that." he said deliberately slowly, voice shaking along with his fists._

_"Gilbert..." the German muttered softly, pressing his lips together as he could feel them trembling._

_"What gives you the right to threaten him like that!?" Gilbert spat, yanking the back of Gerard's shirt to drag him away from his brother._

_Gerard pulled himself free, growling with blind rage. "This little fag RAPED my son!" he roared, frothing at the mouth._

_"He didn't rape your fucking son, your son consented to gay sex und he fucking loved it!" Gilbert taunted, a malicious grin on his face._

_"Gilbert!" Ludwig blurted out in shock._

_Gerard went rigid, dark eyes widening, his veins pulsating. "You little shit." before Gilbert had the chance to react one of Gerard's fists made contact with his jaw, knocking him backwards into the bar._

_"Hey!" Ludwig jumped down from his stool and went to restrain Gerard._

_Gilbert staggered to his feet, waving a hand at his brother. "It's okay, I got this Ludwig." he lunged himself towards Gerard, returning the favour he sent him crashing into some unoccupied stools with one blow. Gerard scrambled to his feet, touching his nose delicately he felt the blood that was slowly trickling down. His eyes darkened and Gerard let out a explosive roar, throwing himself into Gilbert he crushed him against the bar, punching left and right into his face and jaw. Gilbert gasped out with each attack, he threw his arms up and grabbed the man around the throat, reversing their positions he forced him onto the bar, smashing empty beer bottles as he held him forcibly down. Gerard's arms flailed around widely as he struggled to breathe, hands reaching for anything to use as weapon._

_His hand brushed over a broken beer bottle and he grabbed the neck, bringing it towards Gilbert. Gilbert jumped backwards and Gerard lunged after him. By this point Ludwig could no longer stand frozen with shock and he had to intervene. In one stride he grabbed the back of Gerard's shirt, yanking him backwards and away from his brother, he threw him hard onto the floor behind him. "Get out!" he yelled at the crumpled man._

_The entire bar was silent and staring. Ludwig hurried to his brother, whose face was bruised and bleeding slightly, he was hunched over the bar, hands cradling his stomach. "You okay Gil?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder._

_Gilbert slowly stood up, his face was drained of any colour, even his eyes had paled. Ludwig was immediately filled with concern and his eyes darted down to his brother's hands which were still pressed into his side, where a strange dark red liquid was soaking into his navy shirt. He lowered his trembling hands and what Ludwig saw filled him with dread. In Gilbert's hands was half a beer bottle, the jagged broken glass coated in blood that was pouring from his brother's side._

_Gilbert collapsed into Ludwig, his legs giving way. The German clung onto him, carefully lowering him down onto the floor. "Oh Gott, shit, Gil hang on, okay?" he stammered in panic, eyes flitting around the room to everyone in the bar who looked horrified. "Somebody calling a fucking ambulance!" he bellowed and several different people whipped out their phones. He turned back to his brother; the German pulled his jumper off over his head and used it to compress down on the wound, his hands trembling as Gilbert's eyes started glazing over. "Gilbert stay awake, look at me." he said firmly despite the quivers in his voice; Ludwig hitched him up onto his knees, cradling his head in his other hand. "Keep your eyes open, you're going to okay do you hear me? Everything will be fine."_

_Gilbert's sickeningly pale face lolled against the German's hand, his eyelids flickering as he desperately tried to keep them open. "...shit..." he croaked, trying to look at his brother's face above him. "...think I'm, think I'm on the way out, Ludwig..." he gripped the front of Ludwig's shirt with his trembling fingers._

_"What? NO!" Ludwig yelled, pulling him closer against him. "Gil don't talk like that, you're going to be okay! We'll get you to the hospital und everything will be fine, you just have to stay with me!" he cried, clutching his brother tightly, desperate tears springing to his eyes._

_Gilbert's face contorted with pain, but he smiled up at the German. "Ludwig, you know I love you...right?" he whispered shakily._

_"Don't talk like that, this isn't goodbye!" Ludwig shot angrily as he fought back his tears._

_"Answer me." Gilbert murmured, coughing slightly as if he was choking._

_Ludwig bit his lip, tears started to drip down his face. "Ja, I know you do, und I love you, so much bruder." he said softly._

_Gilbert nodded shortly, his grip on the German's shirt loosening. "...never let any asshole push you around okay? Fight them, und win, for me." his voice was trailing off as his eyes flickered._

_"Gil hang on, you can't...Gilbert don't go!" Ludwig yelled in despair, tears falling from his eyes and dripping down onto his brother's inanimate face._

_Gilbert gave him a weak smile. "...you're such an awesome little brother." he breathed with his final breath. Gilbert's eyes fell closed and his head went heavy in Ludwig's hand. He died in his brother's arms, blood still seeping from his wound._

_Around him people were stunned, unsure of what to do. Gerard was on his feet, a look of horror on his face as he realised what he'd just done. "Oh shit, oh mother of God I..." he stammered, face paling. "Shit I...I never meant to, I mean he...oh God..."_

_Ludwig couldn't remember much that happened after that. It was mostly a blur. A rage filled, tormented blur. Gerard didn't have the chance to say anything else. Gilbert was laid gently on the floor as his brother slowly got to his feet with trembling legs. He could remember the clouded fury, the white flashes of pure hatred, how he'd felt rage present in the very blood that ran through his veins. No one had the chance to stop him, and before he could even think about the consequences of his actions; Ludwig had picked up a broken bottle and attacked. He killed Gerard in the same way he'd murdered his brother, only he'd stabbed multiple times, just to be sure._

_He hadn't enjoyed it, taking a life. But he wanted, no, needed it to be done. Gilbert's lifeless body just lay there in the bar, revenge had seemed sweet, and oh so deserved. Just moments after he'd finished killing this man with tears in his eyes and hatred in his blood, the police had showed up to arrest him. Ludwig couldn't even recall all the events from that night even in the next couple of hours he spent in the police station being questioned. All he could think about, all he could focus on was that Gilbert was gone. Gone because he was standing up for him, gone because he hadn't stopped that man attacking him..._

_The only person he had in the world was gone because of him..._

**~0~**

Feliciano's gaping mouth finally closed as Ludwig finished his heart breaking story, he felt his own eyes fill with tears just to imagine it. Ludwig's jaw quivered ever so slightly and he sighed. "Most people would probably say it was a mistake, killing him...that I should have just let him be arrested for killing Gilbert." he muttered softly, fists clenched on his lap. "But what good would that have done? He'd only be in the same position I'm in right now, in prison for life for murder...und even that's too good for that son of a bitch." he spat.

Feliciano swallowed slightly. "You don't regret it?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know...all I know is that if I was on the outside und he was in here well...I'd probably drive myself insane plotting ways to break in und finish him off." Ludwig let out an exasperated sigh, clutching the back of his neck. "...so there you go. That's everything...I bet you think I'm a monster now right?" he asked, turning his sharp eyes on the Italian.

Feliciano gazed at him for a few moments. He was sure he could see what looked like the very beginnings of tears in the German's eyes. His heart softened, this poor man was not the heartless killer he, as well as many others, must have made him out to be. He was just a lonely orphan who had lost his brother, his only companion...and who was he to say what justifies murder? That man had killed Gilbert, accidentally admittedly, but he'd still been a murderer before he died. The Italian inched closer to him, reaching out a shaking hand to touch the blonds' shoulder. "I understand."

The German flinched slightly at the unexpected contact. "What? How the hell can you understand?" he demanded.

"Well...I have a brother too." Feliciano said softly, ignoring the irritated look Ludwig was giving him. "I know it's not the same but...well our parents died quite a while ago, and when that happened we decided to move in together and run a cafe together so that we could be closer." he smiled slightly at the way Ludwig's angry expression softened. "...so in a way, we only have each other too, except for Lovino's boyfriend Antonio, but I don't know what I'd do if...if he was killed."

"...would you kill the man who did it?" Ludwig asked softly.

Feliciano bit his lip, eyes darting away. "I don't know if I could...but I understand why you did, I know how important people are to us, especially if they're all you have." he glanced back at the German anxiously, waiting for some kind of harsh remark.

Instead he received what may have been the biggest shock of his life. Ludwig had suddenly leant towards him and wrapped his strong arms around the Italian's small frame. Feliciano had let out a squeak of surprise but before he could even register the action and think to hug him back the German had released him.

Ludwig had the slightest of smiles. "What's your name again?"

Feliciano blinked in confusion. "Um, don't you call me Vargas?"

"Ja but that's your second name right?" the Italian nodded. "What's your first name?"

"Feliciano."

"Well Feliciano." the German said with a soft smile. "From now on I want you stick with me in here."

The Italian stared at him with disbelief, their last conversation in Elizaveta's office running through his mind. "Really? But...won't that make you look weak?" he asked.

Ludwig smirked slightly, patting him on the shoulder. "Well I'll just have to toughen you up a bit." he muttered softly, watching the Italian's face light up. "Won't I?" Feliciano couldn't think what to say, he only knew that he must be grinning like an idiot. Eventually Ludwig stood up off the bunk, he went to the upturned table and righted it before he began collecting together all the discarded playing cards. "Fancy a card game?" he asked the Italian over his shoulder.

Feliciano nodded numbly, hurriedly joining the blond in card collecting. "Sì...that'd be great." he said softly, beaming at the German.

* * *

**So depressing writing this, hate character deaths :(**

**Reviews are love :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Italy discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

A surprisingly chilly breeze brushed through the air, buffeting a large white cloud across the sky where it eclipsed the warm, shining sun; the first indicators of the new season of autumn. Had there been a single leaf on the only tree that stood in the prison courtyard, they would no doubt be turning a dark shade of auburn, crisping and weakening until the lightest gusts of wind would be able to send them fluttering to the ground. Feliciano leant back against the trunk of this sturdy tree, staring up at the slim twisted branches above his head; they were bare of any leaves, green or otherwise. It was the simple things he was starting to miss about life on the outside, just watching the leaves fall and the conkers bloom...it's amazing what you take for granted when you're in prison.

Beside him sat his newfound friend and prison cellmate, Ludwig, no last name, just Ludwig. The German had become a surprisingly valued friend in the short amount of time the Italian had been incarcerated. A lot had changed since Ludwig had opened up to Feliciano about his crime and revealed his life story; it had initiated their friendship and given the Italian the security he longed for in prison. Not that he hadn't previously been protected, Ludwig had been watching over him since day one, if only out of pity, although he hadn't exactly been the nicest guy.

Now that their friendship was cemented however the German had actually been much better with him, kinder even. Ludwig didn't seem to care anymore about appearing weak in front of the other inmates; he defended the Italian and protected him from harm, not even minding the fact that every single person in the prison was now under the impression that Feliciano was his bitch. If anything Feliciano rather liked being thought of as Ludwig's property, it ensured that no one would dare try to harm him, not whilst he was glued constantly to the German's side.

Feliciano glanced next to him at his blond friend; they'd been sat under Ludwig's tree in the courtyard for the last hour or so, just chatting together quietly. As the days had gone by the Italian felt more and more comfortable with the German; in the first couple of days of their friendship Feliciano had felt a little awkward when trying to start a conversation, especially after what an emotional revelation the German had had. But now he was fine just talking to him, he actually rather liked it, they got on surprisingly well.

The Italian saw an inmate inadvertently pass close by across the courtyard, he glanced up, saw Ludwig, then tried to look casual as he hurried away, giving the tree a much wider girth, as if afraid the German was going to jump up and pounce on him for no apparent reason. Feliciano watched the man curiously before turning back to Ludwig. "You've been in here a long time haven't you?" he asked, purely for conversation starting purposes, he already knew the answer.

Ludwig glanced next to him. "What makes you say that?" he asked, resting his head back against his arm.

"Well Arthur told me it's been five years..." Feliciano said with a shrug, earning a raised eyebrow from his companion. "...but I could probably tell anyway."

"From what?" Ludwig inquired curiously.

Feliciano shrugged again, his eyes drifting across the courtyard through the vast crowd of orange jumpsuits to that one man who he'd been watching just before; he was still casting anxious glances back towards their tree. Every now again the same thing seemed to happen, inmates would either be glaring over at them with dislike, fear, irritation or confusion. Ludwig didn't seem to notice, maybe he was used to it. "Well...there's the way everyone in here seems to know who you are." the Italian suggested.

"They know of me, not who I am." Ludwig confirmed. "I'm just that guy everyone's afraid of."

Feliciano rested his head back against the trunk of the tree, gazing at him quizzically. "But why?"

Ludwig quirked an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked incredulously; the German gave a grunt of disbelief. "You were pretty damn terrified of me up until recently."

"Sì...but I'm scared of most things." Feliciano admitted softly with a bashful smile. "But I mean you're not the scariest looking guy in here." he said pointedly, scanning the vast open space he indicated the many examples of this, the large, grizzly inmates glaring over at them. "You're not the tallest or the biggest."

The German followed his gaze, and when their eyes met again he smirked. "Looks can be deceiving." he said simply, running a hand through the short hair at the back of his neck. "Nein, I think stories about my crime have been greatly exaggerated around here, und that's why everyone steps round me like I'm some kind of diseased pigeon." he muttered with a shrug of the shoulders.

"In what way are they exaggerated?" the Italian asked, crossing his legs he shuffled back against the tree so his bottom was just sitting on the tiny patch of grass that burst through the tarmac. "I mean other people in here must be...murderers, too."

The Italian winced slightly, hoping he hadn't offended the German. Thankfully Ludwig appeared unaffected by the 'M' word. "I have doubts whether there are many in here." he alleged.

"You do?"

"Ja...you know I'm actually rather fortunate in that this was the prison I ended up in." the German nodded up towards the large, towering prison confines that loomed over them from a distance. "It's not a maximum security prison, those are the ones where you're most likely to get killed."

The Italian blinked slowly. "Really?"

Ludwig nodded. "I only ended up being sent here because every other prison for miles was so over crowded that there was no room for me in any of them." he said with almost an air of relief. "Those places are the ones where guys like me usually end up, it's there where you find all the drugs, rape und abuse, und at least one inmate is killed every day in those kind of prisons."

"...and that stuff doesn't go on around here?" Feliciano asked with a slight note of confusion, thinking back to the sex auction on his second day with a shudder.

"Oh there are rape und drugs sure." Ludwig said casually and Feliciano cringed slightly. "But murder is rare...most of the guys in here are total pussies anyway, total pussies with ridiculous tattoos und no hair...they think they're so hard just because they committed petty crimes but they'd probably wilt if I so much as looked at them." he said with slight sneer in his voice.

Feliciano smiled slightly. "So that's why you're the toughest guy in here?"

Ludwig glanced at the Italian, he almost look flattered. "Pretty much, although if it were any other prison I'd probably be in trouble." he said softly, biting the inside of his cheek. "...killing one man is nothing compared to what some guys in places like that have done, as far as prison goes though this place is alright." he muttered, nodding again to the building ahead of them. "There's more freedom here then in a lot of other prisons."

Feliciano stared at him, momentarily at a slight loss for words. "...that's a strange word to use to describe a prison." he murmured softly, shivering slightly as the wind picked up suddenly in the courtyard and breezed across them, chilling him through his thin clothing.

Ludwig's eyebrow ascended slightly at the involuntary tremor. "Well a newbie like you just hasn't gotten used to the confinements of prison life." he explained briefly, and Feliciano could have sworn the German had just inched closer to him, as he could now feel Ludwig's broad shoulder just grazing against his own. "It could be a hell of a lot worse." the blond continued. "How long are you in here for anyway?" he asked.

Feliciano leant into the warmth now pressing against him. "Two years." he said with a soft sigh.

"What did you do?" the German asked interestedly.

Feliciano glanced up at him, trying his best to keep a straight face as he responded. "...I assaulted someone, he's in hospital now in a coma."

Ludwig nodded slowly, and the corner of his mouth twitched just slightly upwards. "Alright, so what really happened?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Ve?"

"Come on, you expect me to believe that a little weakling like you put someone in hospital?" the German said with a smirk, slowly shaking his head.

Feliciano held back a grin. "You don't know, I might secretly be a master of kung fu, or something." he said with a shrug.

Ludwig snorted slightly. "Ja, right." he muttered.

"Looks can be deceiving." the Italian said simply, a smile dancing in his eyes.

The German gazed down at him with a sceptical look; Feliciano just smiled sweetly and Ludwig smirked, rolling his eyes. "...so go on then, what happened?" he asked, resting his head back against the tree trunk.

Feliciano sighed, bringing his knees up to his chest he wrapped his arms around them. "I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." he muttered, resting his chin on top of his knees.

"So you are innocent." the German said softly.

The Italian nodded slowly. "Sì...I wish the jury had believed it though." he murmured woefully.

"What happened?" Ludwig asked, nudging the Italian with his shoulder perhaps a little too forcefully.

Feliciano stumbled slightly, having to brace one hand on the ground in order to steady himself. He sat back up, stretching his legs out in front of him he let his hands rest in his lap, sighing deeply as he regaled the German with the story. "It was really late, about midnight, I was on my way home from a really bad date...I was supposed to get a lift home but I just wanted to get away from my date so badly and leave so I decided to walk home instead." Feliciano revealed; the German nodded for him to continue. "I live in a really nice neighbourhood so I didn't think anything would happen..." he said almost with a groan. "...but on the way home I was walking down this really quiet part of town and I saw someone lying in an alleyway. At first I thought he was just a homeless person, but when I walked past I could smell blood..."

Feliciano bit his lip slightly. "So I went into the alleyway to see what had happened; there was this Japanese man lying on the ground, there was blood everywhere...I went to see if he was okay and tried to wake him up but he wouldn't, and I didn't know if he was breathing, so I called an ambulance for him and told them where he was, and then..." the Italian trailed off, he clenched his eyes shut, resting his head in his hands he gripped the front of his hair, letting out a groan of frustration. "...then I did something really stupid." he whined.

"What was that?" Ludwig asked, intrigued.

Feliciano sighed, releasing the tight hold on his copper coloured hair, he shook his head, biting his lip slightly. "...I ran."

Ludwig stared at him. "What?...why?" he asked in utter bewilderment.

Feliciano shrugged slightly, biting the edge of his thumb. "I panicked, I thought...I thought they'd think I was the one who had attacked him...so after I called the ambulance I ran home." he said softly.

The German nodded but still seemed a little confused. "...but they did think it was you."

The Italian nodded. "Sì...someone must have seen me; the police showed up at my house a couple of hours later to arrest me...I had the man's blood all over my clothes and they wouldn't believe my story." he muttered quietly, knotting his fingers together.

"It probably would have been better if you'd stayed with the man until the ambulance got there, you'd have looked like an innocent bystander." Ludwig said delicately, almost with a look of sympathy.

Feliciano sighed. "Sì I realise that now, I made the wrong decision...I told my story to the court but they all thought I was lying...and man's family wanted justice and they thought I was guilty."

Ludwig shook his head. "That's bad...you know you're probably the only innocent guy in here."

"Sì...I don't belong here."

"It's all down to circumstances." the German said, running a hand across the back of his neck. "It's amazing isn't it? How such small actions can have such a big impact on our lives...you probably wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't gone on that date." he glanced down at the Italian, quirking an eyebrow. "I hope she was worth it."

Feliciano smiled, going slightly red. "Oh...it was actually a he, and no...no he wasn't." he said softly with a shake of the head.

"A he?" Ludwig asked rather abruptly before he cleared his throat, turning away slightly. "Oh...well neither was the guy I slept with." he muttered awkwardly.

The Italian gazed at him for a moment, still smiling. "...you know I really didn't expect you to...be that way."

"Really?" the German asked with a slight smirk. "Even after you offered yourself to me?"

Feliciano blushed violently at the reminder, turning his head the other way to face the far end of the courtyard. "I thought guys having sex with guys in prison didn't mean they were gay." he muttered, feeling suddenly quite hot despite the chilly air.

"Ja they can all keep telling themselves that." Ludwig said with a scoff. "But nein, I've known I've been this way since I was fourteen."

"That young?" the Italian asked in amazement, whipping back around to face him; he himself had not fully been aware of his sexuality until just a few years ago.

Germany nodded. "Ja, I wasn't very sure about it at first, but I came out to Gilbert und he was understanding..." he smiled softly, shaking his head. "...he always knew the right thing to say, I was terrified he'd be disgusted und he'd hate me...but he was just so great about it."

Feliciano smiled as well. "He sounds like a great guy."

"He was...he just cared so much about me." Ludwig said softly, leaning back against the tree. "He taught me everything and accepted everything about me...I'll never forget the day I told him..."

**~0~**

_"Hey Luddi!" Gilbert kicked open the back gate to his old orphanage, the social workers had long ago stopped scorning him for 'breaking in' and just allowed him to wander into the back garden of his own free will since he'd done it almost every day for the last five years...just so long as he remembered to close the gate again when he left. His little brother was sat waiting for him in his usual spot on the back wall of the garden, legs dangling down to the ground below. It was only Ludwig who was there, the other children had learnt to anticipate Gilbert's visits and steered well clear of the orphanage garden when they knew he was going to show up. When the German spotted his brother at the gate he jumped down from the wall and immediately ran to greet him with a hug._

_Gilbert grinned, lifting the young teen off the ground as they embraced. "Wow bro you're getting bigger every day!" he laughed, his voice slightly strained as he struggled under the weight of the blond, he eventually dropped him to the ground. "How have you been?"_

_"Okay...how about you?" Ludwig asked softly, playing with the end of his sleeves of his old green jumper, both of which were tattered and torn as if they'd been clawed at by a cat._

_"I'm great! Can't wait for next week though, when I'm officially eighteen they'll let me take you out of this place during the day cause I'll be a legal adult! I'm gonna take you to the carnival und to the cinema und we'll go to the beach und I'll buy you drinks, as long as you don't tell anyone, und..." Gilbert babbled out his words in an excitable tone, beaming down at his brother. He stopped when he spotted the German's jumper sleeves. "Hey, what happened to your sleeves Ludwig? You get chased by a hungry dog or something?" he asked in befuddlement._

_Ludwig bit his lip, folding the remnants of his sleeves into the palms of his hands. "Nein I've just...been picking at them und stuff." he muttered, his toe digging into the ground._

_Gilbert looked a little suspicious. "Alright, well remind me the next time I get my allowance und I'll buy you a new one okay?" he said, gently ruffling the blonds' hair; he smiled down at him and the German managed a slightly distorted smile back. Gilbert looked at him curiously. "You okay little brother?"_

_"J-Ja...um, want to go on the swings?" the German asked hurriedly, shuffling quickly towards the back of the garden where the rusty old children's play area sat._

_Gilbert slowly followed, he grabbed hold of the top bar of the swing with both hands, he pulled himself up and let himself dangle down towards the ground. "You sure you're okay Ludwig? You seem a little off...no one been messing with you have they? Cause you tell me if they have und I'll sort them out." he said determinedly, swinging back and forth on the bar._

_Ludwig sat tentatively on one of the seats of the swings, gripping tightly to the ropes. "Nein, no ones been bothering me." he muttered, staring down at his feet as they dragged slowly across the ground with the movements of the swing._

_Gilbert leapt down neatly from the bar, landing in front of his brother. "Well then what's the matter? You know I can tell when you've got something on your mind...have you?" he said firmly, bending down on his knees to look him in the eyes._

_Ludwig swallowed slightly, his bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. "...ja, I have." he whispered; there was no point trying to lie to Gilbert._

_"Alright then, so what's up?" Gilbert asked, softening instantly, he placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a slight shake._

_The German released his hold on the ropes, thrusting his hands in between his knees to stop them from shaking. "Um, well...you know when um...when that Lisa girl told me she liked me..." Ludwig said quietly, his voice shaking slightly; Gilbert nodded. "Und um...she tried to kiss me und um...und I told her I didn't like her und um..." he bit his lip, breathing in sharply. "...I-I think I know why now."_

_Gilbert nodded slowly, gently rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah..."_

_Tears suddenly sprung to the German's eyes and he jumped up off the swing, tearing across the garden as he desperately scrubbed at his watering eyes. "O-Oh gott..." he sobbed quietly, biting down on one of his torn sleeves, chewing furiously on the frayed fabric._

_"Hey..." Gilbert jogged after him, gently turning the young teenager back round to face him. "I don't like seeing you like this bro...what's wrong? You can tell me anything Ludwig." he said gently, lifting up a hand he slowly pulled his brother's sleeve away from his mouth._

_Ludwig clenched his eyes shut as tears continued to pour down his face, his hands being firmly held onto by his brother's he could do nothing but stand in front of him, quietly sobbing. "G-Gil...I...I don't think I..." he sniffled loudly, stepping closer to his brother so he could lean into his chest, burrowing his head into Gilbert. "...I don't think I like girls!" he howled, clutching the font of his brother's jacket._

_Gilbert wrapped his arms tightly around the young boy, hugging him close. "Aww Ludwig, don't get upset...there's nothing wrong with that." he said soothingly, gripping the back of his neck as he cuddled his little brother._

_The German scrubbed his eyes on his brother's shoulder, his breath hitching in his chest. "B-But it's not just that I...I think I..." he stammered, scrunching his fists into Gilbert's jacket. "...I think I like boys." he whispered, a fresh wave of tears raining down his face._

_Gilbert seemed rather stunned by his brother's confession, but he continued to hold him close, attempting to calm him. "...alright, shhhh..."_

_Ludwig pulled away from his brother suddenly, taking tiny steps back as he desperately scrubbed at his eyes. "I-I'm so s-sorry Gil, please...please don't hate me..." the young boy sobbed, shoving one of his torn sleeves into his mouth to muffle the noise._

_"What?" Gilbert blurted out in disbelief. "Ludwig don't be stupid." he shook his head, stepping closer to his brother he took hold of his hands, gently pulling them away from his face so he could look him in the eyes. "I could never hate you."_

_The German sniffed, tears still seeping down his red face. "Really? Even though I'm...I'm d-distgusting?" he choked out quietly._

_"What? Ludwig you're not disgusting!" Gilbert looked shocked, hurriedly pulling his brother into another hug. "Seriously Ludwig, there's nothing wrong with liking boys...it's perfectly natural." he said gently, running his fingers through the young boy's blond hair._

_"...i-it is?" Ludwig whispered, gazing up at his brother._

_Gilbert smiled down at him. "Of course, it doesn't matter who you like or who you fall in love with...what matters is that you be yourself, und if you like boys Ludwig then that's who you are, und you should embrace it." he said warmly, gently brushing his brother's messy fringe out of his eyes, slicking it back for him._

_Ludwig managed a tiny smile back, drying his eyes on the back of his hand. "Really?"_

_Gilbert nodded, kissing the top of his head. "Sure, nothing wrong with love little brother." he said, grinning down at him. "So...you got a crush on any of the guys here?" he asked with a suggestive tone._

_The German blushed slightly, pulling away from his brother in embarrassment. "No!" he snapped._

_Gilbert laughed, poking him in the cheek. "You so do! Aww bless..." he smirked, still chuckling slightly. "...Ludwig when you're old enough I am going to help you get so much cock."_

_"Gil!" Ludwig blurted out in shock; his brother laughed and the German couldn't help but join in. _

_Gilbert grinned, slinging an arm around the blonds' shoulders. "You laugh now but trust me, you'll want my awesome help in the future with identifying gays."_

_The German rolled his eyes, pushing Gilbert away, still smirking slightly as he dabbed at his eyes. "Ja...I'll keep that in mind."_

**~0~**

Feliciano smiled softly, tucking himself up against the tree as the wind picked up. "That's lucky, my brother got really annoyed at me when I first told him."

Ludwig looked sympathetic for a moment before confusion set in. "Hang on, I thought you said your brother had a boyfriend." he muttered sceptically.

"He does, he was annoyed that I turned out gay as well...he doesn't like me copying him." the Italian said, laughing slightly.

The German snorted, shaking his head. "Dear gott, that's a terrible excuse."

"I know, he's okay about it now though." Feliciano said softly. "By the way...does anyone else in here know about Gilbert?"

Ludwig was silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "Ja, Arthur knows...the prison guard." he clarified.

Feliciano smiled. "Arthur's really nice."

"Ja, he's a good guy." Ludwig agreed. "He was present at my trial und he heard my story...he was the only one who cared." he muttered softly, leaning back against the tree.

Feliciano nodded, it was all making sense now. "I wonder if he's here..." he wondered aloud. The Italian craned his neck slightly to try and locate the Brit; the guards were easily spotted in their uniforms, usually wandering around the edge of the courtyard keeping their eyes out for trouble.

Feliciano found Arthur at the right side of the courtyard conversing with Alfred; the American seemed to be showing off some kind of new handgun he'd obtained. The Italian wasn't entirely sure of their relationship, they argued like a married couple yet he wasn't certain whether they were actually romantically involved, perhaps Ludwig knew the answer. "Hey, do you know if those two are together?" Feliciano asked, turning back to look at the German next to him. He gave no response; the Italian looked slightly confused. "Ludwig?"

The German wasn't looking back at Feliciano, his gaze was clearly focused elsewhere; he was staring straight ahead of him, his face was screwed up slightly as if there was a very bad smell in the air. Feliciano tried to see what the German was staring at, it wasn't hard to spot. Stood just a little way from where they were sat, was an inmate with a similar look of disgust to the German's etched onto his face, he was staring straight back at Ludwig. The man was rather tall, although probably still shorter than the German, with dark brown, messy tufts of hair and deep grey eyes. He was quite skinny although his arms seemed to be bulging with muscles, his face was shallow and he had a rather beaky nose, and a very pointy chin.

Feliciano looked from this man to Ludwig again and back to him. For just a split second the Italian could have sworn the man's sharp stare had fallen on him, but before he could work out if this was the case the man had turned his head away from them and had set off through a crowd of inmates, and was lost among the other orange jumpsuits. Feliciano seemed rather befuddled, glancing next to him at the German. "Ludwig?" he asked.

Ludwig shook his head quickly, clearing his throat slightly. "It's nothing, sorry. What did you say?"

"It doesn't matter..." Feliciano said quietly, he shivered slightly, wrapping his arms tightly around his legs.

"Do you want to play cards later?" the German asked.

The Italian smiled slightly, nodding. "Sure."

**~0~**

"Straight flush." Ludwig said, displaying his cards on the top of the table. "What have you got?" he asked the Italian opposite him.

"Umm..." Feliciano bit his lip, staring down blankly at his own hand. "I have a three..." he fiddled with the cards haphazardly, sending them scattering across the wooden table. "Oops."

The German sighed, helping him collect them back up. "I thought you said you knew how to play poker." he muttered, handing Feliciano back his hand.

The Italian looked around their cell awkwardly, shrugging slightly. "I thought I'd be able to pick it up as we went along..."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "You can't pick it up if you don't know the different hands first, look." he took the Italian's cards back from him and laid them out on the table. "See you've got a four here, that makes a pair with the four on the table, you could have played that."

"Is that good?"

"Well it's not great, but it's better than nothing." Ludwig said, scooping them back up. "That's why you have to bluff, so if the other players think you have a good hand they'll fold und you can win even with terrible cards...although that's only really for when you're playing for money." he added, separating the pile of toothpicks they'd been using as chips, giving each of them half. "Let's start again okay? I'll talk you through it." the German collected all of the cards back together and gave them a brief shuffle before dealing them out.

Feliciano nodded slowly, awkwardly picking up his two cards, he tried to copy the professional way the German held his, so casual, with such little effort. "Um...so what do I do with my cards?"

"Well when the cards are on the table you have to match the ones you have to what's on the table to try und get the best hand." Ludwig said simply; the Italian just stared at him blankly. The German sighed, placing his own cards face down on the table he shuffled his chair right around the table to sit beside the Italian, having a look at his cards. "Okay so here you've got a queen and a seven, which aren't great on their own, but then take a look at the cards on the table..."

Feliciano squinted at the cards laid face up. "Okay..."

"So there's no queen or sevens, so you can't make any pairs, but your cards are both diamonds so you could try und make a flush." Ludwig said, dragging a couple of diamond cards from the centre of the table towards them. "That's only four, you need five for a flush so you have to hope that the next card that's placed on the table is a diamond...if it's not you'll lose, but that's where bluffing comes in."

Feliciano tried hard to concentrate on the lesson Ludwig was giving him, but it was incredibly difficult to listen to what he was saying when they were pressed so close together. Ludwig suddenly poked him in the ribs and the Italian jumped, realising he'd obviously just been asked a question. "Sorry, what?"

Ludwig sighed. "I said give me your hand." he tried again, his own hand stretched out expectantly.

Feliciano stared at him, swallowing slightly. "...okay." the Italian muttered in slight confusion, his hand shaking slightly as he lifted it up and gently took hold of the German's own, he was startled by how much larger it was than his, thicker fingers, and Ludwig's palm was startlingly warm. Feliciano kept his gaze fixed firmly on their joined hands; he could feel his cheeks heating up ever so slightly. The German's fingers twitched on some kind of impulse, and Feliciano found his own fingers being tugged into the gaps between Ludwig's, they slotted so perfectly together, locking into place.

He dared a glance up at Ludwig's face and saw he too was staring at their joined hands. The German caught Feliciano's gaze and he cleared his throat awkwardly, his pale face slowly turning red. "I um...I meant your cards..." he muttered.

"Oh." Feliciano blushed furiously, holding out his other hand which still had an uneasy grip on the cards. "Sorry."

Ludwig grimaced slightly, taking them hurriedly he let their hands beak apart. "Thanks." he grunted, dropping the cards onto the table. "Um, I think I'm just going to have a sleep for a while." he said quietly as he got to his feet.

Feliciano felt slightly down heartened. "Okay."

"...you can still play with the cards if you want." Ludwig added as he crossed over to the end of the cell and hoisted himself up onto his top bunk. He lay down on his back, letting his eyes drift close as he rested his hands behind his head, sighing softly.

Feliciano watched him for a few moments; his hand the German had been holding was just resting on the table top amongst the discarded cards. He slowly closed his hand, fingers curling into his palm, the tips were tingling. The Italian eventually heard the soft, heavy breathing coming from the top bunk telling him that Ludwig had drifted off. Feliciano began collecting the cards together on the table, deciding he'd play a much less complicated card game. Every now and again he glanced up at the blond, the slightest of smiles traced onto his face; Ludwig sure did look sweet when he slept.

* * *

**I'm so sorry this took so long, I need to keep on top of this more**

**Sweet Gerita moment to make up for my neglect~ **

**Reviews are love :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

A familiar sight greeted Feliciano as he followed Ludwig through the heavy metal door into the cafeteria for their final meal of the day. Hundreds of inmates from each of the prison blocks were crowded into the noisy hall, half of them already tucking into their food whilst others were still lining up by the serving station. Alfred and Arthur had just unlocked the door for the block D inmates and, as always, Ludwig was one of the first to pass through it without any fuss or violent jostling; he just swept through with ease and now Feliciano had been given that same privilege. Just two days ago however, someone had tried to push the Italian out of the way, clearly this man had not been aware of his and Ludwig's relationship, and was swiftly brought to the ground by the angry German...when the prison guard's backs were turned of course.

The Italian forever remained at his friend's side and he couldn't help but feel that everyone in the prison was getting more and more pissed off about that fact. At least the American prison guard was relatively happy about it, Feliciano had got the sense that he didn't like Arthur being friends with him, but since he now had Ludwig to take care of him Arthur had receded to the sidelines, occasionally offering the Italian a friendly smile or wave in place of advice or protection that he now got from the German instead.

Ludwig's empty table, as always, was unoccupied and sat right at the back at hall, waiting for the two of them. The German waited for Feliciano to pick up his tray before the two of them made to sit down. It was a routine that had fast become second nature to the Italian, they'd enter the cafeteria together, get their food together, sit down together and eat together and then leave together, all without any intrusions or problems. Today however, was a little abnormal. As he and Ludwig approached their table an inmate sitting close by suddenly stood up and attempted to block their path. He didn't place a finger on either of them, just stood in front of Ludwig, unblinking an un-intimidated

The loud voices around them quietened down to unsure murmurs as people's attention turned to this unusual scene. The German seemed momentarily vexed by the man's strange behaviour. But then, unsurprisingly, his eyes narrowed and his face turned sour; Ludwig's hand swatted violently upwards and smacked the man hard in the face, knocking him into the back of a table and out of their path. His dark eyes then shot in the direction of their audience and the sea of people hurriedly went back to their own conversations and tried not to notice the man who had just been hit as he struggled to get to his feet, blood starting to trickle out of his nose.

"Sorry about that." Ludwig grunted out of the side of his mouth towards Feliciano as they took their seats at the German's empty table. The Italian seemed a little startled by the attack that had just occurred; he always went a little frigid whenever Ludwig lashed out like that...even when it was necessary.

Feliciano smiled slightly, settling himself down in front of his tray. "It's okay..."

The German shook his head, casting a dark look over at the man who had finally managed to stumble back to his seat. "I don't know why that Arschloch didn't just move out of our way." he muttered, picking up his fork.

"Would he normally?" Feliciano inquired, glancing over his shoulder to look as well.

"I don't know whether I've seen him before or not." Ludwig said, eyeing the man a while longer before shrugging. "But everyone does, always." he added in a low growl.

Feliciano spun back round, drumming his fingers anxiously on top of the table. "...maybe it's me."

"What?"

The Italian shrugged slightly, biting his lip. "Maybe they think...you know, because I stick with you..." he murmured, trailing off.

"That I've gone soft?" Ludwig asked with a snort. "Well if those morons want to risk their skin by taking chances like that then they're going to swiftly learn otherwise." he said with a smirk, and Feliciano could have sworn the German just flexed his biceps beneath his sleeves.

Feliciano watched the German for a few moments as the blond began tucking into his beef stew; the Italian had had plenty of opportunities over the last month or so to see Ludwig raging in action, to keep him safe or defend himself. "...have you always been like that?" Feliciano asked quietly after a few moments.

Ludwig swallowed his mouthful, glancing up at the Italian sat opposite him. "Been like what?"

Feliciano hesitated slightly, despite their friendship there were still certain things the Italian was wary of saying to the man's face. "...a little violent-" he blurted out quietly, stuttering slightly as the German's eyebrows rose up towards his hairline. "I-I mean...wanting to be in charge."

Ludwig looked like he was contemplating the Italian's words as he ate another hearty mouthful of stew. "It's not that I want to be in charge; I'm not." he said slowly after a few moments. "I mean no one goes around here doing my bidding or any shit like that." he pointed out, taking a sip of water from his polystyrene cup.

Feliciano nodded slowly. "Sì...but they do what you say."

"I only tell them to keep out of my way und leave me alone." Ludwig muttered. "Und I only take action if anyone in here thinks of confronting me." he added darkly, glaring eyes fixed on the people around them, even though none of them were even looking their way.

When their eyes met again across the table Ludwig's face instantly softened, Feliciano smiled slightly. "...you shouldn't have to act so strong all the time." he said endearingly.

"That's the only way I've ever lived my life." Ludwig muttered, leaning his elbows on top of the table. "When I showed up here, it's all I knew."

"So you've never interacted with anyone in here?" Feliciano asked curiously.

"Nein." the German replied straight away before frowning, looking a little indecisive. "Unless you count a few cellmates I had before you." he disclosed, shrugging slightly.

The Italian had completely forgotten that fact. "...what happened to them?" he asked interestedly.

"One committed suicide." Ludwig said casually. "I didn't influence that by the way." he added with a roll of the eyes when he saw Feliciano's own widen with horror. "The others were moved out of my cell after I...'convinced' them to leave." he said with inverted air quotes, smirking slightly.

Feliciano smiled awkwardly, tilting his head to the side curiously. "...why? Why didn't you want them there?" he questioned; the Italian knew the German was fond of isolation, but then why would he so willingly talk to him and no one else?

Ludwig shrugged, "I just wanted to be on my own." he said, scooping another mouthful of stew into his mouth.

"That has to be lonely though." Feliciano said quietly, making no move to eat his own food.

"Not really." the German muttered, swallowing his mouthful.

The Italian looked at him curiously. "Really? Five years is a long time to not have any friends." he wondered.

Ludwig looked up from his tray with a smirk. "Well I've got you now..." he said softly, taking a sip of water. "...haven't I?"

Feliciano smiled at him across the table, but still his pondering mind wouldn't allow him to stop. "...I've been wanting to ask you about that." he muttered, twiddling his thumbs together on top of the table.

The German went back to his meal. "About what?"

Feliciano bit his lip. "...well, what made me different?" he asked.

Ludwig paused, gazing over at him. "...what do you mean?"

"You never wanted to be friends with anyone, or to talk to anyone." the Italian clarified. "But you changed your mind with me?" he said with a questioning tone, a slight smile dancing in his eyes.

Ludwig rubbed the back of his neck, seeming a little hot under the collar. "Well...I didn't exactly want anything to do with you from the start." he drawled taking a large gulp of water.

The Italian nodded slowly, yet still couldn't hide the smile threatening to burst through. "...but you saved me from that sex auction." he pointed out, and never in his life did he think he'd be saying the words 'sex auction' quite as jauntily as he did. "...and you saved me a lot of other times, like that guy in the shower who was staring at me..."

"Usually I wouldn't have gotten involved." Ludwig muttered, placing his cup down on the table he gazed at the Italian with a raised eyebrow. "But you're a special case."

Feliciano beamed. "In what way?"

Ludwig shook his head; he picked up his fork again and tried to look casual when he spoke. "Feliciano...are you even aware of how unbelievably attractive you are?" he asked with complete sincerity, gazing up at the man.

The Italian flushed bright red and his smile was immediately replaced with bashful embarrassment. "...what?" he mumbled, tucking his hands in between his knees and lowering his head.

Ludwig smirked, almost chuckling. "You're a gorgeous Italian und no offence, but you're rather effeminate as well." he muttered softly, taking secret glee in the Italian's reddening face. "So the guys in here who claim to be straight can justify being attracted to you."

"People in here are attracted to me?" Feliciano cried, eyes widening in alarm as he slapped his hands down on the table.

The German rolled his eyes, taking another sip of water. "Ja haven't you noticed? I don't want to scare you Feliciano, but you're probably the most desirable guy in here."

The Italian sunk in on himself, had his face not been so red he would have paled at that last remark. Whilst it was true there had been a few incidents where he felt as if he was being watched like easy prey, he hadn't fully appreciated that very few others, if any, were in the same situation. Feliciano frowned. "Oh...yay." he sighed.

"That's why I stepped in." Ludwig continued. "I know how things work in here...the second I saw you I knew there was going to be trouble with the guys in here taking a shine to you."

Feliciano bit his lip. "...sorry."

Ludwig shrugged. "Not your fault, if anything helping you was to my benefit just as much as yours." he informed him, tucking back into his food.

"Ve?"

Ludwig swallowed his mouthful, rolling his eyes at the Italian's confused face. "Well if you got abused who'd be the one who'd have to deal with it?" he questioned. "Just easier to save your ass instead then let it happen."

Feliciano nodded slowly but smiled. "...oh, well thank you, I mean that..." his hand twitched slightly on top of the table, as if wanting to take the German's own. He held it still however, but looked beseechingly up at the blond with bright eyes. "...for a lot of things."

"Don't mention it." the German grunted, his eyes darting away from Feliciano's. "For once it actually feels good to be helping others for a change." he said with a shrug, glancing curiously down at the untouched food sitting in front of the Italian. "You not going to eat that?" he asked, hurriedly changing the subject.

Feliciano shrugged, picking up his fork he poked it into the rather slimy looking stew, nose wrinkling slightly. "I'm not really hungry...it's not very nice looking anyway." he muttered, placing his cutlery back down. The Italian let out a dreamy sigh. "My brother's boyfriend Antonio brought me some cinnamon buns from our cafe when they last visited..." he murmured, resting his head on his hand.

"Well you won't get anything like that in here." the German grunted, moping up the remains of his own stew with a lump of crusty bread.

Feliciano sighed again. "Sì..." he poked his food again, letting his eyes wander up the stone wall behind the German to the tiny bared windows that ran along the top, where the stark light from outside was blaring in, casting lined patterned shadows across the room. Feliciano stared at the glow for a few moments, humming slightly. "I think that's the first thing I'll do." he said quietly to himself.

"What?" Ludwig asked, helping himself to the Italian's food who simply let him take it.

"When I get out..." the Italian explained, smiling slightly. "...the first thing I'll do is go home and stuff my face with pastries and pasta." he said happily.

Ludwig nodded slowly, his shoulders slumping slightly. "If I ever got out there's only one thing I'd want to do." he muttered, finishing his water.

"...what's that?" Feliciano asked softly, biting his lip slightly as he realised he may have touched a nerve by bringing up his release.

"Visit Gilbert's grave." the German said shortly. "I've never had the chance to, I wasn't even allowed attend the funeral." he grumbled bitterly.

"The prison wouldn't let you?" Feliciano asked in shock.

"Oh nein, I wasn't incarcerated then, I was just detained...they would have been willing to let me go under supervision but the Beilschmidts didn't want me there." Ludwig growled, his hand tightening around the empty cup so that it cracked. "So I was banned."

The Italian stared at him. "That's so unfair!" he cried.

Ludwig shrugged, letting out deep sigh. "Legally they were still his guardians...und as such they were in charge of the funeral, they didn't want the man who had stolen him away from them anywhere near it." he muttered softly, threading a hand into the hair at the back of his heck.

"Did they not know about the man who had killed him?" Feliciano asked, eyes wide with amazement.

Ludwig snorted. "They did, they didn't care; they hated me, not him...well probably him as well, but they blamed me for Gil's death." he muttered coldly, pushing Feliciano's tray away from him as he no longer felt the desire to eat.

Feliciano bit his lip. "...that's really not fair, Gilbert was more yours than he was theirs." he said softly.

"Ja..." Ludwig glanced up at him, smiling slightly. "...at least someone understands that."

Feliciano smiled back at him, taking a few sips of his own water but still he left the tray untouched, he didn't think he'd be able to eat any of it. He and the German chatted together for a couple of minutes, passing the time until the block doors were re-opened and they'd be allowed to return to their cells. Just as the prison guards were moving into position and getting ready to unlock the doors another strange thing, similar to that of the start of dinner, occurred. An inmate who Feliciano recognised very well had gotten up from his own table and was striding over to theirs, he stopped right next to the Italian and grinned down at him with a nasty smirk.

Feliciano slowly looked up and his heart sank like a stone into the pit of his stomach. It was the large, skin headed inmate from the sex auction on his second day in prison...the one who had attempted to buy him before Ludwig came to his rescue. He'd seen the man a few times since the incident and it always made him feel sick to see him from afar, but up close it was absolutely terrifying. Ludwig knew all too well of this incident and his eyes narrowed, fixed darkly on the man's pig like face. "Can I help you?" he growled, hands braced on the table in case he needed to jump up into action.

The man's gaze flitted from the Italian towards the blond, still with his smirk fixed in place. "Ludwig, I believe you have something that belongs to me." he said in a low voice, clamping a large hand down heavily on Feliciano's shoulder, who winced noticeably and had to hold back a squeal.

Ludwig's face contorted. "Excuse me?" he demanded.

"You won't mind if I take him back, will you?" the man said calmly, almost with a smile as he dug his fingers into the Italian's bony shoulder and dragged him to his feet.

In a flash Ludwig was up as well, his knees jerking up so fast they almost sent the table crashing to the floor. "Get your hands off him." he said deliberately slowly, his dark eyes burning into the man's slightly mangled face.

The man merely continued to smile. "Why?" he asked innocently.

"Why!?" Ludwig barked in disbelief, veins starting to throb on his reddening forehead.

"Yeah, why? He's not yours is he?" the man said with a smirk, giving the Italian a slight shake, causing him to whimper.

Ludwig was thrown slightly off guard, getting quite flustered. "N-Nein but he's not yours you Arschloch!" he yelled, marching around the table he forcefully grabbed hold of the man's arm that was holding Feliciano. "Put him down before I break your arm off." he snarled, fingers digging harshly into the man's upper arm.

The man winced a little but strangely didn't react. "So he's not yours? But you still claim ownership over him?" he said slowly, looking from the Italian still struggling in his grip to the German stood in front of him.

"No one owns him!" Ludwig hissed, confused by the man's lack of response. "But he's my friend und if you don't let go off him und disappear I will make your life in here very interesting." he dragged the man closer towards him, growling into his face. There was a moment of silence, and Ludwig clenched his other fist ready for the inevitable fight that was due to break out, he cast a glance around to check the guards were preoccupied and wouldn't intervene. But to his and Feliciano's amazement the man simply dropped the Italian, pulled himself out of Ludwig's grasp and turned to leave, casually making his way back to his table.

Ludwig watched him go, eyebrows furrowed together before he gently placing a hand on Feliciano's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked.

The Italian nodded slowly, biting his lip. "...sì grazie."

"That was weird." Ludwig muttered.

Feliciano nodded. "Sì...he's not tried to get me back before." he said quietly, daring a glance over at the man as he was climbing back onto his seat.

Ludwig shook his head. "Not that." he grunted, eyes narrowing "I know that guy, we've clashed before, his names Eric...und that wasn't like him."

"What do you mean?"

"Eric never backs down like that, not normally, even if he won't fight he'll argue until he's red in the face." the German informed him, staring at the back of Eric's head from where they stood. "I don't understand why he'd just walk away like that." he said curiously; Ludwig shook his head, glancing down the cafeteria where he could see Alfred had just reopened the door to their block. "Come on, you done?" he asked the Italian, indicating to their discarded trays. "Let's get back."

Feliciano nodded and followed the German to the other end of the cafeteria so they could retire back to their cell for the evening. As he passed Eric's table he dared a sly glance over his shoulder and saw the man conversing with someone sat beside him. This man looked rather familiar; Eric was speaking quietly to him, almost into his ear, and just at that moment both of them looked up to stare at Feliciano from their table. The Italian was met with a pair of cold, deep grey eyes that bore into his own from out of a familiar pointed face. Before Feliciano could dwell too long on this he was manoeuvred gently out of the cafeteria by Ludwig, and gave the British prison guard a smile as he left.

**~0~**

Feliciano yawned tiredly, curling up under the thin sheets on his bottom bunk his eyes sprung open once again and he was met with blackness. He was starting to regret not having anything to eat that evening as he was certain that was the reason he was being kept up. The Italian had been able to sleep easy the last few weeks now he had Ludwig and tonight was an unwelcome change. He sighed, flipping over onto his back, the bunk shuddered and creaked with the movement but above him Ludwig was already sound asleep breathing heavily and didn't wake. Feliciano closed his eyes again, trying to force himself into slumber, just listening to the silence in the still jail block.

It took Feliciano several minutes to notice that the German's steady breathing was slowly changing into quick, shuddering gasps of air. The Italian peeled open his eyes, staring up at the bunk above him even though he couldn't see it through the darkness. Ludwig was started to shift from side to side, shaking the metal bars of their bunk, his voice croaking mumbled, distressed words into the silence. The Italian knew what it meant. Ludwig was having one of his infamous night terrors, he'd only seen it happen once in his early days at the prison, and Arthur had told him he was surprised that it had been so long since he'd had an attack, and that it usually occurred almost on a weekly basis. Feliciano had been relieved that it hadn't happened in so long because the last time it had it had frightened him so much that he couldn't fall asleep even when it was over.

Tonight however, it seemed to have made a violent return. The German thrashed uncontrollably above him, his choked up voice getting more and more desperate. "G-Gil...don't go, hold...hold on Gil...d-don't..."

Feliciano lay there, clutching the sheets around him, heart pounding anxiously as he waited for the German to wake up. But Ludwig just kept on going, shouting and screaming, twisting and banging on the narrow bunk, his mind refusing to wake itself from his horrific nightmare. Feliciano couldn't stand a second longer, on a rather aggressive impulse the Italian wrenched off the bed covers and jumped to his feet. Without his weight on the bottom bunk the entire bunk bed was moving across the stone floor with the intense force of the German's brash movements. Quickly, and with some difficulty, Feliciano managed to grab hold of the ladder and heave himself up onto the top bunk, where he stayed with his feet fixed on the ladder as Ludwig's powerful legs were kicking in all directions and threatened to knock Feliciano down any second.

"N-No! D-Don't...hang on...l-love you..." Ludwig was sobbing now, the Italian could hear the way the words caught in his throat, and was certain there must be tears pouring down his face.

Feliciano bit his lip, tentatively reaching forward in the dark he found the German's shoulders and gave them a gentle shake. "Um, Ludwig?" he whispered. He continued to move, his voice quietened to a murmur as if he was starting to stir, and the Italian gave him a more firm jostle. "Ludwig wake up, you're dreaming." still the blond refused to wake, his head shaking from side to side. Feliciano grit his teeth and, with a deep breath, climbed up the last rung of the ladder and pushed himself forward so he was straddling the German's lap on the bunk. "Ludwig!" he cried, much louder now as he shook the man below him. "Wake up!"

Ludwig woke with a frightened gasp, and he sat up so quickly the force almost knocked the Italian clear off the bunk, thankfully Feliciano clung onto the bed rails just in time and managed to stay upright. The German impulsively clamped onto the man in front of him, his breathing coming out in short heavy gasps. "F-Feli?" he weazed, staring at the young man sat on his lap.

Feliciano nodded, gently tracing his fingers down the German's face, as he suspected he felt an awful lot of moisture running down his cheeks. "Sì it's me...are you okay?" he whispered quietly.

Ludwig shook his head, swallowing heavily. "It was so real...Gilbert, I could see him it was...it was so clear I...I felt like oh Gott..." he stuttered, his hands tightening around the Italian's waist. "...like it was happening all over again." he was still breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating.

"It's okay, it was just a dream..." Feliciano murmured softly, using the edge of his sleeve to wipe away the tears clinging to the German's face.

"Is everything alright in there?" a voice suddenly echoed from behind them. The Italian turned and was met with a harsh light being shined in his eyes; Arthur was stood on the outside of their cell, shining a torch towards them with a look of concern and confusion etched on his face.

"Sì, everything's fine." Feliciano called back, out of the corner of his eye he saw Ludwig duck his head in embarrassment. "Really Arthur, it's okay." the Italian said hurriedly as the Brit made to get his keys out of his belt.

"Well...if you're sure." he muttered hesitatingly as he took in the sight of the shaking blond on the top bunk. "I'm on duty so I'll be patrolling around...if you need me."

Feliciano smiled in gratitude. "Grazie."

Arthur nodded and disappeared again. When the light from his torch had completely vanished from the Italian's range of vision did he shuffle back round to face Ludwig. The German was still holding onto him as he tried to take calming breaths; Feliciano tentatively wrapped his arms around Ludwig's neck. "It's okay..." he murmured, pulling him down for a hug.

The German stiffened slightly at the contact and for a split second looked as though he was going to push him away. But instead he slumped into the younger man, burrowing his head into Feliciano's neck. "...sorry." he grunted, fingers tightening on the Italian's waist.

"Don't apologise." Feliciano whispered into his soft hair, gently tracing his fingers soothingly through the trimmed locks at the back of his neck.

Ludwig let out a strange noise that sounded almost like a purr, and Feliciano felt the grip around his slip hips tighten instantly. The Italian continued to pet Ludwig's hair and cuddle him close, it was exactly the kind of the thing that would make himself feel better after a nightmare and he was certain it would help the German. It did seem to be working; the ragged breathing that filled the cell was slowing down to a more normal register; the tears that were soaking into his shoulder dried out and he could no longer feel the furious pounding of Ludwig's heart against his chest.

However the German had yet to let go of him. In fact Feliciano actually felt himself being pulled ever steadily closer until he was sat right on top of Ludwig's crotch, the German's fingers still dug into his hips. The Italian loosened his arms from around Ludwig's neck, gently patting his shoulders in an indicator that he could let him go. But if anything the more Feliciano tried to pull away the stronger Ludwig's hold on him became. After a few moments of this awkward struggle the Italian relented, and went back to the insistent cuddling; it was unusual for the German to be acting this way, but not exactly unwelcoming.

Feliciano closed his eyes, resting his head lightly against the top of Ludwig's head as he cuddled into the warmth. He was feeling deeply at ease, almost enough that he thought he could fall fast asleep on the German's lap. He could feel strong hands running slowly up and down the length of his back, lulling Feliciano into a deep sense of security, a flush of warmth resting in his chest as those hands moved to his front. An unexpected shiver suddenly swept down his spine and the Italian frowned at the intrusion to the calming warmth he was feeling. Feliciano peeled open his eyes to work out what had happened and was slightly alarmed see the German's hands on the front of his jumpsuit...slowly undoing the buttons.

He could just make out the outline of the blond in the darkness, but in his sleepy state the Italian hadn't realised what the German's hands had been doing. The front of his jumpsuit was slowly pushed open and a draft from their chilly cell caused goose bumps to break out across his chest. These were only heightened further by a sudden change in temperature as something hot and moist suddenly latched onto one of the Italian's nipples. Feliciano gasped out in shock, his shaking hands clinging the German's shoulders as he shuddered.

Ludwig was hurriedly pushing the Italian's jumpsuit down past his shoulders, his lips skating across the exposed chest in front of him; he moved to the other nipple, giving it a gentle tweak with his teeth before leaning up to bite the side of Feliciano's neck as he slipped his hands around the Italian's back, tightly grasping his rear. Feliciano whimpered softly as Ludwig's tongue stroked teasingly against the sensitive skin of his neck, his fingers clawed at the German's shoulders. He didn't know what was going on, his hazy mind was spinning, was this really happening? Ludwig bit down on Feliciano's shoulder and the Italian held back a groan, clutching the back of the German's jumpsuit.

Ludwig suddenly pushed the Italian backwards off his lap so he could finish undressing him, hurriedly tugging at the small buttons on the front of the jumpsuit that were still done up. Feliciano swallowed heavily, and with shaking hands he began doing the same thing to Ludwig, letting the buttons on the blonds' jumpsuit fall undone like his own. The German paused momentarily to allow Feliciano time to fully undress him; the Italian let his fingers trail delicately down Ludwig's smooth pecs down to his muscular abs, inhaling sharply. Ludwig shivered slightly and he sat Feliciano up on his knees so he was able to fully remove the rest of his clothing so he was down to just his tight underwear.

Being a virgin and not having gotten past so much as a kiss; Feliciano had never been in this position before, but that didn't mean the effects of it weren't working. The Italian couldn't help but blush as Ludwig's eyes fixed directly on the throbbing bulge in his underwear and he resisted the intense urge to cover himself up. He let out a sharp gasp as one of the German's large hands suddenly cupped him down there and gave him a gentle squeeze. Feliciano moaned softly, his trembling fingers clutching the back of Ludwig's neck as that torturous hand continued to move, pressing into his crotch and squeezing in all the right places.

Ludwig leant down and pressed a wet kiss against the Italian's jaw line; Feliciano shivered, his fingers digging into the back of the German's neck. Something inside Ludwig must have snapped, all of his patience was lost and he seized the young man, his strong arms wound around the Italian's waist and with a deep growl he threw him down onto the bunk with his head against the pillow. Feliciano squeaked out in surprise when just as suddenly the German flipped him over onto his stomach, lifting his hips upwards towards him. The Italian bit his lip, his heart pounding with nerves as he felt Ludwig's fingers slip into the waistband of his boxers and swiftly whip them down his legs, leaving him fully exposed.

Feliciano swallowed, burying his head into the pillow to stop himself from whimpering in fear. He kept trying to tell himself that he trusted the German, he truly did, but that didn't stop his legs turning to jelly and quivering as Ludwig ran his long fingers along the length of his back. Ludwig's hand skated up towards the back of the Italian's neck where he threaded his fingers into his hair, tugging lightly as he leant down and pressed gentle kisses in-between Feliciano's shoulder blades. The young man grunted softly, arching his back to those soft lips he lifted his head up from the pillow. Three of Ludwig's fingers slid down his neck towards Feliciano's lips and forced their way into his mouth. Feliciano gagged slightly in shock before realising what the German wanted him to do and he began to suck, running his tongue thoroughly across these thick fingers, making them slick with saliva that ran down his chin.

When Ludwig felt his fingers were sufficiently wet he pulled away from Feliciano's mouth and the Italian inhaled a sharp breath of relief. However it was swiftly turned into a yelp of shock when he felt one of those soaking wet fingers pressing firmly against his exposed entrance. Feliciano bit his lip, whimpering softly when that finger was shoved inside his body; the intrusion felt strange and a little uncomfortable, yet strangely arousing. The Italian forced himself to keep quiet as the finger probed and prodded, but he couldn't help the deep groan that escaped him when a second and then a third finger joined it, moving around inside him and stretching the tight passage. Feliciano grunted softly, curling his fingers into the sheets beneath him and pushing back against those fingers to get them to go even deeper.

Ludwig eventually pulled them away and Feliciano let out a groan of disappointment as those fingers slipped out of him; his straining erection was drenching the sheets beneath him with precum. He let out a surprised gasp when his hip was grabbed onto and he was thrown onto his back; above him he could just make out the German hurriedly pushing his own jumpsuit and underwear down to rid himself of the constricting clothing. Feliciano automatically parted his legs as Ludwig surged towards him and grabbed hold of his waist; the Italian clenched his eyes shut, biting down on his lip as he waited with nervous anticipation for what was about to happen.

In one swift movement Ludwig entered Feliciano, his fingers digging harshly into the young man's hips. Feliciano had to hold back a scream; it hurt, a lot; the German's fingers were nothing compared to the real thing, the large intrusion was stretching him so much he was worried he wouldn't be able to take it. The Italian's trembling hands clenched tightly onto Ludwig's biceps, his breath coming out in high pitched whimpers as the German kept going, moving slowly further into him. Blood trickled down onto the sheets, a sign of Feliciano's virginity given to the man above him who was gazing down at him through the darkness. "You okay?" he grunted suddenly into the silence.

Feliciano bit his lip, tears starting to seep down his face. "...i-it hurts." he mewled, his voice hitching in his chest.

Instantly he felt the German's movements stop, and his hands moved from the Italian's hips up to his face where he gently stroked his thumbs down his soft cheeks. Their eyes met in the darkness, more easily seen at this close proximity; there was a long silence only broken by the Italian's soft breathing as they gazed into each other, the German's fingers tracing soft patterns across his skin. Feliciano could feel the German moving in towards him, his hot breath was cascading like a waterfall over his lips as their faces grew steadily closer. Their eyes still locked, their naked bodies pressed so close together as the tip of Ludwig's nose brushed delicately against Feliciano's, they both swallowed a lump in their throats at the uneasy pause, both unsure of their next move. The German above him shivered and bit his lip, he suddenly shifted on the bunk as he tried to close the gap between them, but the change in position caused him to buck forward involuntarily into the Italian and the tip of his penis grazed something inside the young man that just-

"Ahh!" Feliciano threw his head back and he let out a scream; the pain he had been feeling was quickly overshadowed by an intense pleasure that took over. The moment now lost, Ludwig settled for a quick kiss on Feliciano's neck before he slowly pulled back out, only to thrust in again more easily than before. The Italian bit his lip, circling his arms around the German's neck as he began to thrust into him, slowly at first but then hastily gathering speed, gripping harshly into the Italian's slim hips.

Feliciano clawed at Ludwig's back, gasping and moaning with each meeting to his prostate; he'd never felt anything like it. The entire bunk was shaking with the force of the German's erratic thrusting, their moans and grunts of pleasure, the sounds of skin on skin filled the cell. Friction from Ludwig's stomach brushing up frantically against Feliciano's erection was sending him into a frenzy. The Italian's shaking hands buried themselves in the blonds' hair and with a loud cry he came across their bare chests. Ludwig shuddered violently and was over the edge in a matter of moments, sinking his teeth into Feliciano's shoulder as he emptied his load into the young man.

The German collapsed heavily on top of Feliciano, their bodies coated in a sweat and sticky mess. The Italian still couldn't comprehend what had just happened; Ludwig slowly sat up and pulled out of him, Feliciano shivered at the feeling. He was completely drained of energy and could do nothing but lie still on Ludwig's bunk, gazing up at the dark outline of the German with a curious smile on his face.

But Ludwig...Ludwig was frowning. He scrambled hurriedly onto his knees and began hastily redressing himself; Feliciano watched in confusion as the blond suddenly leapt down from the bunk. He started pacing around their cell with his head in his hands, breath coming out in short pants, similar to the ones he had when he'd woken up from his nightmare.

"...Lu...Ludwig?" Feliciano murmured, he was exhausted, he could barely stay awake. His eyelids drooped but he forced them to open; the German was stood with his back to him, hands threaded into the hair at the back on his neck.

Feliciano tried desperately to ward off sleep but to no avail, his eyes closed as his fatigued muscles gave way. In his tired state he couldn't recall whether it was part of his dream or if it really happened, but after a few still moments he'd felt a hand brush gently through his hair, soft fingers lightly brushing his skin. The Italian drifted off to sleep, and could of sworn he'd heard someone whisper tearfully into the darkness.

"Feli...I'm so sorry."

* * *

**Arschloch - Arsehole (I'm British blah blahhh I spell things with an R...)**

**Hooray for butt sex! :D**

**Reviews are love :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Feliciano awoke very slowly the next cold morning. A light gloom was cast over his cell that not only seemed to reflect the weather outside but the atmosphere within. He blindly lifted a hand to scrub at his tired eyes; the Italian was surprised by how heavy his arm felt as he brought it up to his face, an indicator of a bad nights sleep. On the contrary he'd actually slept incredibly well, he hadn't woken once from his deep slumber and he felt strangely at ease.

The Italian lay motionless for a long time as his befuddled mind attempted to recall what had happened to him. When Feliciano managed to finally peel open his eyes he realised he was not in fact lying on his own bunk; he was actually on the German's, staring right up at the stone ceiling with Ludwig himself nowhere in plain sight. Feliciano closed his heavy eyes again, letting his hand roll off his face to rest beside his head. He felt as if his mind was no longer connected to any part of him, he couldn't get his thoughts to form any kind of logical pattern; something incredible must have occurred during the night to put him into this numb trance. Feliciano forced his eyes open once more, he gave his head a slight shake from side to side to wake his mind which still seemed to be in a deep, dream like state. When the Italian could finally feel his senses coming back to him did it all slowly start to click into place. Only when he registered the dull, rather painful throb in his rear end as he shifted on the narrow bunk did Feliciano remember what had occurred last night.

The Italian inhaled sharply, stilling on the bed with a hand clapped to his mouth. Last night he and Ludwig had had sex. His German cell mate, his only companion had taken his virginity and Feliciano had let it happen. Strangely enough though after the first few moments of complete shock and lying frozen in horror the Italian very rapidly began to calm until he was feeling perfectly normal again. He hadn't understood what had happened, or more importantly, why it had happened, but it wasn't as if it had been necessarily a bad thing. Quite the opposite in fact, Feliciano had found it rather...enjoyable, amazing even; he'd never experienced anything like that before in his entire life.

Feliciano very tentatively sat up on the bunk, wincing at the slight pain in his bottom. At some point in the night Ludwig must have redressed him because his jumpsuit was back on and buttoned all the way up. The Italian smiled slightly, regardless of whatever was going through Ludwig's head last night the German had still obviously retained some of his caring, protective nature.

As if only just noticing that Ludwig was not in his bed; Feliciano looked down from the bunk to see where he was. The German was sat at their little wooden table with his back to him. He was slumped over in his chair, elbows braced on the table with his head in his hands, his fingers clawing at his hair. From the way he was sat and the way he didn't move a muscle, Feliciano was certain the German had been sat there all night.

"Ludwig?" Feliciano asked softly, having to clear his throat as it came out in a hoarse whisper. The Italian saw Ludwig flinch noticeably at the sudden invasion into the silence, but said nothing in return. Feliciano seemed quite concerned, he slowly shifted towards the ladder and carefully climbed down; the Italian stumbled on the last step as his jellified legs suddenly gave way but he managed to steady himself...he should have expected that after last night.

Feliciano took a cautious step towards the blond, biting his lip. "Um Ludwig?" the German still didn't respond, and the Italian wondered whether he was asleep. "Are you awake?" he asked softly, reaching out a hand to gently tap Ludwig's shoulder. His body moved slightly but still he refused to raise his head; the Italian noticed the German's fingers tighten in his hair. Feliciano moved even closer with his wobbly legs until he was stood right behind his chair, he delicately slid his arms around Ludwig's shoulders, giving him a gentle hug from behind. "Are you okay?"

Ludwig let out a deep, rather frustrated sigh. "Don't." he grunted as he shrugged the younger man off.

Feliciano took a slight step back, feeling rather hurt. "...what's wrong?" he questioned in a murmur. The German didn't answer and instead pushed his chair back and got slowly to his feet, crossing towards the other end of the cell in an attempt to get away from him. Feliciano frowned slightly, "Ludwig..." he hurried over, grabbing hold of the German's arm and attempting to turn him around to face him. "...listen, last night-"

"Don't!" Ludwig barked furiously, wrenching his arm away from the young man, giving him a look of dire warning. Feliciano shut his mouth, taking a hesitant step back. The German sighed, his anger flooding quickly into what Feliciano recognised as despair, raking his fingers into his blond hair again. "Seriously Feli just don't because right now I'm just about ready to kill myself..." he whispered, clenching his eyes shut.

Feliciano stared at him. "Ludwig-"

"Morning love birds!" the cheerful voice of the American prison guard sounded as he beamed at the two of them from outside their cell, getting his keys out of his belt. "Heard all about what you two were doing last night!"

"WHAT!?" Ludwig yelled suddenly, storming over to the bars of their cell. "What did you hear?" he demanded, his pale face going slowly red.

Alfred looked at Arthur beside him in confusion. "Uhhh...Arthur told me what he saw you guys doing last night." he said awkwardly, looking rather annoyed. "Maybe you could be a little more polite?"

"What did he say!?" the German raged, his dark eyes flicking from the American to the Brit.

Alfred glared at him. "My God would you calm down already? He just said you guys were cuddling cause you'd had a nightmare...not a big deal." he said irritably, rolling his eyes as he unlocked their door and slid it open. "What the hell you getting so worked up about?"

Ludwig growled in frustration, his cheeks flaming bright red he hurriedly stormed out of their cell, practically running down the long corridor to get away from them and join the rest of the inmates heading down to breakfast, his angry hissing and snarling ensuring a wide girth was kept at all times. Arthur watched him disappear, his rather large eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Is everything alright with him?" he asked the Italian who was still stood alone in the cell.

Feliciano shrugged slightly as he shuffled over, knotting his fingers together anxiously as he followed the prison guards down the corridor towards the cafeteria. "I don't know..." he murmured, keeping close to the Brit's side.

"Must just be a reaction from his night terrors." Arthur said reassuringly, smiling slightly. "You know he's never gotten help for it."

"...what do you mean?"

"Well he could speak to a counsellor, we've got several employed here." the Brit informed him, herding Feliciano and the rest of the inmates out of block D. "But whenever anyone suggests it he won't hear of it."

The Italian nodded slowly, frowning slightly. "I don't think that's why he's acting like this though..." he said quietly so the Brit couldn't hear; Alfred pushed his way through the crowd to get to the heavy metal door, unlocking it so that everyone could file through to the cafeteria.

Feliciano could easily spot Ludwig in the crowd, normally the German didn't attempt to intimidate other inmates if he could help it, he'd just stand still and not interact with anyone. But this morning Ludwig's fiery temper was in overdrive, he was still grunting angrily and he was making threatening gestures at anyone who dared to breath near him. When the blond forced his way unnecessarily violently through the crowd into the cafeteria and the rest of the block followed, Feliciano gently grabbed Arthur's arm before he could follow after. "Um, Arthur?"

The Brit smiled at him. "Yes?"

Feliciano ignored the American prison guard giving him evil looks as he touched the Brit and carried on. "Um, do you think maybe I could go and see Elizaveta?" he asked anxiously.

"What now?" Arthur question; the Italian nodded. "Why, are you unwell?"

"No I just I...I think I need to speak to her..." Feliciano said softly, looking hopeful.

Arthur bit his lip, glancing around. "I don't know...I mean I don't think I can authorise a visit with no medical reason." he muttered awkwardly.

The Italian sighed, "Oh..." he murmured, his gaze wandering towards the cafeteria where he could see Ludwig sat at his table, looking more disgruntled and edgy than he was ever used to seeing him.

Arthur saw where Feliciano was looking and sighed. "Although..." he drawled, earning the young man's attention. "I suppose if you promised to feign a bit of a cough as we pass the main office I could let it slide just this once." he said with a slight smile.

Feliciano smiled in relief. "Grazie Arthur."

"Don't mention it...and I mean that." he said warningly, turning around to wave a dismissive hand at Alfred as he was still stood by the door waiting for the Brit. "Come on." Arthur led Feliciano back into block D and down the long corridor towards the main building.

As the Italian was taken away he saw Alfred glaring at him again from the corner of his eye, it seemed a good a time as any to finally get a straight answer. "Hey Arthur..."

"Yes?"

"Are you and Alfred, you know..." Feliciano said, searching for the right word.

The Brit smiled slightly. "Life partners, yes...although God only knows why." he muttered with a shake of the head, speaking rather fondly. "That's why he keeps getting jealous, he's convinced I fancy you, you see." Arthur said with a smirk, stopping outside the large metal door at the end of the corridor. "Right..."

Feliciano waited patiently whilst the Brit began to unlock and unbolt the heavy door, fiddling anxiously with his orange sleeves; he wasn't sure why, but he just really felt the need to speak to the friendly Hungarian, apart from Ludwig she was the only person he felt comfortable discussing personal matters with...as he couldn't keep Arthur away from Alfred long enough to say anything to him. True to his word the Italian gave a few feeble coughs as Arthur led him past the main office, the man sat behind the glass gave him a sceptical look but said nothing. Feliciano walked with a quick pace to the open doorway of Elizaveta's office.

The Hungarian was busying herself with paperwork, humming softly, she looked up and smiled when Arthur knocked on the side of the wall. "Oh hi Arthur, hi Feliciano!" she sang happily when she spotted the young man slightly hidden behind the Brit. Elizaveta got to her feet and swept over to the doorway, holding out her arms. "How have you been sweetie? I haven't seen you for a while now." she said brightly, pulling the young man into a hug.

Feliciano smiled slightly, cuddling her back, having to reach up as she was ever so slightly taller than him. "Sì I've been fine...how about you?" he asked, pulling back from the embrace.

Elizaveta beamed at him. "I've been doing well thank you honey bunch." the young woman ushered him into her tidy office whilst the Brit dawdled outside "So, what can I do for you today?" she asked, taking a hold of the Italian's face gently in her hands she gave his cheeks a light squeeze and felt his forehead. "You seem perfectly healthy to me."

Feliciano removed Elizaveta's hands from his face. "I am, I just...I need to talk." he said softly.

"Oh?" Elizaveta looked at him curiously, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. "Well I'm not really qualified for that sort of thing to be honest sweetie...but we do have a some counsellors if you'd like to speak to one of them?" she offered with a friendly smile. "Usually they deal with alcohol and substance abuse but I'm sure they'd be willing to talk about whatever it is you're dealing with."

The Italian shook his head. "No, it's not that...I needed to talk to you specifically." he said looking at her beseechingly.

"Really?" the Hungarian looked quite flattered. "Okay then, sure sweetie." she smiled, gently tugging him over to the narrow bed at the end of her office; the two of them jumped up onto it to sit side by side, their legs dangling down to the floor. "What's up?" Elizaveta inquired, but before Feliciano could speak she carried on. "You know I'm surprised you want to talk to me when you could have talked to Ludwig, Arthur tells me you two have become good friends...and I'm so happy you have." she added with a warm smile.

Feliciano sighed inwardly, placing his hands in his lap. "...I can't talk to Ludwig about this." he muttered.

Elizaveta looked confused. "Oh, why not?"

The Italian bit his lip, pulling his hands into his sleeves. "...because it's about him." he said quietly, glancing away.

Elizaveta's eyebrows rose and she nodded her understanding. "Oh I see...so what's wrong sweetie?" she questioned, edging slightly closer to him on the bed.

"Um..." the Italian's eyes darted towards the doorway where he could still see Arthur standing guard; the Brit was distracted with his wristwatch however and wasn't looking in. Feliciano bit his lip, lowering his head towards Elizaveta. "...this is just between us sì?"

"Yes of course." Elizaveta said sincerely, placing a hand on his arm. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

Feliciano started tugging at the edges of his sleeves, his heart clenching anxiously in his chest. "...um, last night...last night Ludwig and I...we slept together." he finished in a whisper, feeling his face heating up ever so slightly.

The Hungarian however hadn't realised the double meaning behind his words. "Don't you always?" she asked curiously. "Being cellmates and all..."

"N-No I mean we..." Feliciano cringed slightly, biting his lip. "...we had sex."

Elizaveta stared at him. "What?" she gasped out in shock. "Oh my...really?"

Feliciano nodded slowly. "Sì..." he murmured.

"Oh wow..." Elizaveta breathed softly, shaking her head. "That's really surprising, I mean especially from Ludwig." the Italian let out a soft sigh, and Elizaveta rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. "So what is it you wanted to talk about? If you're worried about having safe sex I can give you some condoms to take back with you." she suggested, gesturing towards a row of cabinets and drawers sat in her office.

Feliciano blushed heavily, rapidly shaking his head. "N-No I just...Elizaveta I'm really confused...I don't know why it happened." he said with a slight groan, resting his head in his hands.

"Well what actually did happen?" Elizaveta asked interestedly; the Italian sighed, regaling her with the full story, how he'd woken the German from one of his night terrors, how he'd cuddled him for comfort on his bunk and then for reasons unknown a simple cuddle had turned into wild, erratic sex. Elizaveta listened intently to his story, nodding throughout. "...I see, and Ludwig was definitely awake was he? Because you know sometimes people can have sex in their sleep." she pointed out.

"I'm sure he was awake..." Feliciano murmured softly, twisting his sleeves around in his hands.

"...and did he force himself on you sweetie?"

The Italian was silent for a long moment before shaking his head. "...not really, I mean...I didn't try to stop him." he said with a shrug.

"So you're glad it happened?" Elizaveta queried with a raised brow.

"I'm not, not glad..." Feliciano muttered awkwardly, knotting his fingers together.

The Hungarian seemed a little confused. "...so what exactly is the matter honey?" she asked, gently rubbing his arm.

Feliciano sighed, leaning into her. "...it's just that...this morning Ludwig was acting weird...he didn't want to talk about what happened." he revealed gloomily.

Elizaveta looked at him sadly, her eyes softening. "...and that upset you?"

Feliciano bit his lip, "A little..." he mumbled.

The Hungarian gave him a gentle hug, the slightest of smiles on her lips. "Sweetie...do you think perhaps you may have feelings for Ludwig?"

The Italian felt another blush coming on and burrowed his head slightly into her shoulder. "I don't know...but he doesn't share them anyway, he must have just been after sex..." he muttered softly.

"Oh honey, now I can tell you right now that that is not true." Elizaveta said certainly, gently lifting his head up to look at her.

Feliciano still looked incredibly despondent as he stared at her. "How can you know?" he murmured.

Elizaveta smiled slightly, glancing up at the Brit still fiddling with his watch. "Because out of everyone in here Arthur and I know Ludwig the best, and I can guarantee he'd agree with me when I say that Ludwig would never use anyone for sex...he's in the minority here." she said, gently patting his knee.

"What?"

"Feli sweetie," the Hungarian took hold of his hand in her own, giving his fingers a squeeze. "Men need sex, okay? That's a fact." she stated and the Italian nodded unsurely. "Guys in here will sleep together, sometimes willingly other times forcefully, because they need it, that's the sad truth." Elizaveta gently tipped Feliciano's chin up as his head lowered to stare at the floor. "But in all the years Ludwig has been here he's never done anything of the sort, I know things like that are hard to keep track of in here because men aren't usually willing to come forward when they've been raped...but I know Ludwig, and he'd never do anything like that." she said, smiling certainly.

Feliciano's dismal face brightened a little. "...really?"

Elizaveta nodded. "Of course, he has a lot of respect for you Feliciano, I can tell." she asserted, patting the top of his hand. The Hungarian gave him a warm smile, letting out a contented sigh. "You know you actually remind me a lot of Ludwig when he first showed up here."

Feliciano stared at her in amazement. "What? But we're complete opposites..." he said with furrowed brows.

"Not when I first met him." Elizaveta informed the Italian, squeezing his hand again. "You know most of that tough guy act he has was developed here in prison, before he was incarcerated he was actually a rather shy young man...he cried his eyes out when I first met him, same as you did." she recalled, smiling sadly with softened eyes.

"Ludwig cried?" Feliciano blurted out in shock. "Was he scared?"

Elizaveta smiled sadly. "I don't think he was scared sweetheart, I think he was grieving, he'd only just lost his brother." she reminded him.

"Oh sì..."

The Hungarian sighed softly, shaking her head. "Bless him he was so young too...I think out of everyone here I remember his arrival the most..."

**~0~**

_Elizaveta yawned softly, packing together her filled in paperwork for the day, she was certain there must be some kind of law against making employees who had barely turned nineteen work this late. Beside her at the desk her mentor thrust another handful of forms towards her, fixing her with a stern look. _

_"Remember to file these correctly this time Miss Héderváry." the elderly woman scorned, reaching onto the back of the office chair for her coat._

_"Yes Mrs Wilks." Elizaveta said softly, dropping the papers onto the desk so she could help her mentor into her thick fur coat, the sooner she got her out of the office to go home the sooner she'd be able to finish her work in peace._

_Just before the elderly physician could hobble out of the doorway one of the prison guards had appeared, blocking her path and holding onto a large file. "Um, Mrs Wilks, we've got a new arrival who needs a health check." he said, wincing slightly as he spoke._

_"Oh for goodness sake Arthur!" Mrs Wilks snapped with a sharp tongue. "I've just put my coat on and I'm ready to go home, why on earth has this place allowed criminal scum to show up so late?" she demanded, glaring at the Brit who shrunk slightly behind the wall. "He'll just have to wait until tomorrow."_

_"The traffic was really bad, we couldn't get him here any earlier..." Arthur said quietly, having to look away from her dark glare before it burned his skin._

_"It's okay Mrs Wilks." Elizaveta said, hurrying over to her. "You head on home, I'll stay and run the health check for him."_

_The elderly woman sighed, "Miss Héderváry you won't be able to handle the procedures without me."_

_The Hungarian tried not to be too offended. "Mrs Wilks I assure you I'll be okay...I know what I'm doing." she insisted._

_Mrs Wilks glanced at her watch, dithering by the door. "Oh fine, but I'll be checking the paper work tomorrow to ensure you've filled in everything correctly." she said coldly, buttoning up her coat. "Right, goodnight both of you." the elderly woman exited through the doorway, hobbling away down the corridor._

_"Miserable old bat." Arthur muttered when she'd disappeared, slipping into the office. "I'll be glad when she's retired and you've taken over." he said to the Hungarian._

_Elizaveta smiled slightly. "If that ever happens, she seems to be clinging on until death." she chuckled slightly, leaning back against the edge of her desk. "Anyway...ooh!" she perked up. "What was going on yesterday?"_

_Arthur looked confused. "Sorry?"_

_Elizaveta grinned at him. "Don't give me that, I mean with you and the new prison guard, the American one." she said with a grin._

_"I don't know what you're talking about." the Brit muttered, going slightly red._

_Elizaveta giggled. "Yes you do." she said with a knowing smirk. "I saw you two making eyes at each other in the staff room, bit young for you isn't he?"_

_"I really don't know what you mean." Arthur said dismissively, still blushing as he hurriedly shoved the file he was holding into her arms. "Anyway here's the man's file with his medical form attached."_

_The Hungarian continued to grin but decided to let it go...for now. She opened up the file and slipped the form out, her forehead creasing in confusion. "Hang on..." she glanced up as Arthur was turning to leave. "Wait a second Arthur, there's a mistake here."_

_He turned back, "Hm?"_

_"Only his first name has been filled in." Elizaveta said, brandishing the form towards him. "The second name box is left blank."_

_"He doesn't have one." the Brit said with a shrug. "No parents."_

_"Oh poor thing..." she murmured, scanning down his file. "Only twenty years old as well..." she said as she found his date of birth, and then looked for the description of his crime. "...wait." she became confused once more. "Murder?" she asked incredulously. "Since when do murderers get sent here?"_

_Arthur shrugged slightly. "Everywhere else was packed, only vacancy for him was here...anyway he's not a killer, his reasons were just." the Brit muttered._

_"In what way?" Elizaveta asked softly._

_Arthur sighed. "I was there, I heard everything...poor guy's brother was killed and he took revenge on the guy who did it." _

_The Hungarian looked at him sadly. "You've always been a strong believer in revenge haven't you?" _

_"Only when it's appropriate." Arthur said, rubbing his eyes. "Right I better go and get him, you sure you'll be okay doing this on your own?"_

_"Of course, I'm not as helpless as Mrs Wilks thinks I am." Elizaveta said certainly, taking out the man's file for a proper look. Arthur disappeared a moment later and the Hungarian took the few minutes he was gone in which to study the details of this man's file. Ludwig...she'd never met anyone who didn't have a last name, although the poor man didn't have any parents. It always saddened her to realise how many inmates incarcerated had a history of a broken family; there was definitely some kind of link to crime associated with such cases. She'd only been employed here for the last six months, having to put in a lot of work and pleading phone calls until the prison allowed someone as young as her to apply for the job, most of her medical training she was picking up as she went along and learning from home. The prison guidelines on this weren't as strict as a real hospital, probably because they really couldn't care less if an inmate died or not from lack of treatment, but Elizaveta was determined to complete all of her training so she could save lives in here, a human being was a human being after all. But she'd seen enough in her short time here to get to grips with how everything worked, and how truely tragic some of the cases were; she wouldn't be surprised if she developed severe depression in the coming years working here._

_The Brit emerged again a while later with a tall man stood behind him in handcuffs; Arthur stood aside and introduced him to the Hungarian, who smiled and held out her hand towards him. "Hi sweetie I'm Elizaveta, I'm the trainee prison physician for this block so myself and Mrs Wilks, who I'm sure you'll meet sometime soon, will be dealing with any injuries or illness you encounter here." she said brightly, just as she'd rehearsed. The Hungarian took the blond man gently by the wrist when he didn't shake her hand and tugged him into the office. "Now I'm going to need you to answer some questions okay sweetie?"_

_Ludwig nodded numbly, letting the Hungarian lead him to the bed where he hitched himself up to sit on the edge. Elizaveta smiled slightly, she was rather nervous without her mentor here but she knew the procedure to follow and what she needed to ask. "Okay I just have to ask you a few questions about your medical health is that okay?" she said gently; the blond said nothing, his dead eyes just stared at the floor as his shoulders slumped over his knees._

_Elizaveta felt a little awkward, she hurried to her desk to grab a pen so she could fill out his form. "Um, okay so tell me sweetie do you have any kind of diabetes?" she asked, bracing the pen against the medical form as she waited for a response. After a few moments of silence she glanced up; Ludwig hadn't answered, his shoulders had started shaking, he must have seen her looking however because he shook his head. "Okay, allergies?" again a shake of the head, but this time the blond man a strange noise in the back of his throat. Elizaveta looked up concernedly. "Are you okay?"_

_In an instant the man's weak resistance crumbled and he burst into noisy tears, sobs wracking in his chest as he buried his face in his hands. Elizaveta looked startled and rushed towards him, dropping the form onto the counter somewhere. "Oh sweetie don't cry..." she placed tentative hands on his shoulders; the Hungarian knew if her mentor were here she'd be astounded if she saw Elizaveta doing something like this, on the occasions when an inmate started crying like this the old woman would throw a box of tissues at them and tell them to man up. But Elizaveta was far too kind hearted, it was one of the faults Mrs Wilks mentioned a lot, and she couldn't help her need to comfort the poor young man._

_"Here..." she handed him a tissue, gently rubbing his back with her other hand. "...oh sweetie, shhh...it'll be okay."_

_Ludwig sniffed, loudly, scrubbing at his eyes with the tissue. "S-Sorry..." he cried, biting his lip. "...oh Gott..." _

_Elizaveta smiled sympathetically, pulling him into a gentle hug. "Sweetie listen to me." she said softly into his ear as he continued to sob on her shoulder. "I know this is a difficult time, but I want you to know that whilst you're incarcerated here, I'm going to be here for you if you ever need someone." _

_Ludwig had nodded but seemed rather unaffected by her words. They managed to get through the rest of the form before Arthur escorted him away. Elizaveta could remember watching him go, this broken down man, so very young and fragile...and she could remember thinking that either he was going to be badly abused in here, or the prison would drastically change him..._

**~0~**

"Wow...I thought Ludwig had always been strong..." Feliciano said softly when the Hungarian had finished her story.

"No, he learnt fast though I must say." Elizaveta said with a sigh, hopping down off the bed. "Still, I better let you go now, I'll have to write up a report to say I gave you some pain killers or something as your excuse for being her."

"But Elizaveta..." Feliciano moaned, jumping down as well. "I still don't know what to do about Ludwig..."

The Hungarian smiled sadly, giving him a hug. "Well to be honest sweetie the only advice I can give is to go and talk to him."

"But he won't talk, he won't let me..." the Italian murmured, resting his head against her shoulder.

"Well you'll just have to force him to." Elizaveta chided, pulling back from the hug. "I know it's not nice, and it'll be a little awkward, but I imagine Ludwig is just as confused as you are about what happened, but the poor guy doesn't do well with touchy feely things anymore and that's probably why he's acting differently."

Feliciano seemed hopeful. "So he doesn't hate me?"

"Of course not sweetie, how could anybody hate you?" the Hungarian smiled, pecking his cheek. "Now you go and find him and insist you talk about what happened okay?" the Italian nodded. "Now did you want to take some condoms back with you? I have plenty." she said, going to one of her drawers and rattling a box of condoms in his face.

Feliciano blushed, pushing it away. "No, it's really okay...I think I just need to talk to him."

Elizaveta shrugged, smiling slightly. "As you wish."

**~0~**

Feliciano was eager to find Ludwig, he'd been deposited outside in the courtyard as breakfast was now over and he was determined to talk to the German before he convinced himself it was a bad idea. He didn't want to wait until they were alone in their cell to break the ice, for he feared he'd be too nervous and awkward in the confined space, it seemed like it would be easier out in the open.

For once the Italian actually couldn't seem to spot him through the vast crowds of inmates. Ludwig wasn't lounged by his tree or lifting weights in the outdoor gym...there were no obvious circles of space in which the German would be the centre of with people avoiding him, where on earth could he be? Feliciano kept moving, swiftly around the edges of the courtyard up against the fence as he scouted around for the German. The Italian passed Alfred and Arthur for the second time and stopped next to them, panting ever so slightly. "You two haven't seen Ludwig have you?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, strangely enough, he is here isn't he Alfred?" he asked his partner.

The American nodded. "Yeah man I saw him leave the cafeteria like ten minutes ago, he's definitely here somewhere." he said, craning his neck slightly to see through the crowds.

"Then where could he-...oh God what's going on over there?" Arthur implored suddenly, grabbing his companion's arm he thrust him in the direction of what he was referring to.

Feliciano looked too, and when he saw what, or rather who, it was a slight gasp escaped him. A fight had just broken out on the other side of the courtyard between two inmates; the Italian recognised them immediately as his very own cellmate Ludwig, and Blake. Blake was a rather large man he'd met in his early days at the prison who had threatened him and who Ludwig had then saved him from. He and the German seemed to have some kind of history, same as he and Eric, they clearly harboured a deep hatred for one another.

However the Italian had never seen Ludwig lash out quite like this, he'd seen him fight before, but he only ever did it for defensive purposes. The German was thrashing his fists into Blake's face over and over, slamming him so hard across the jaw the sounds could be heard throughout the entire courtyard. Arthur and Alfred had already started running towards the scene, and Feliciano could see several more prison guards taking the same course of action; the Italian ran as well, his tiny legs speeding furiously to reach the German before anybody else could.

As Feliciano came closer he could see just how one-sided the fight actually was, Blake...Blake wasn't hitting back. He grunted and gasped out occasionally in pain, attempting to block some of the hits, but he made absolutely no move to attack Ludwig, he was clearly demonstrating serious restraint. The man spat blood onto the ground, giving the German a sweet smile. "Too bad Gilbert's not here to help you out, remind me, what happened to him again?" he asked innocently.

Ludwig roared, suddenly fisting his hands into his chest and hurling the man over his shoulder to the ground. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he bellowed, throwing himself on top of Blake and wrangling him around the neck. "DON'T EVER SAY HIS NAME!"

Blake clawed at Ludwig's hands, trying to prise them away, his face was slowly reddening as the air was no longer getting into his lungs. Feliciano saw Alfred hurriedly reaching for his taser in his belt and the Italian panicked, hurling himself at the German. "Ludwig stop!" he tried desperately to push him off of Blake but Ludwig knocked Feliciano swiftly to the ground with a dangerous snarl.

Before Feliciano could even get to his feet he heard a deafening yell of pain. Alfred had just electrocuted the German in the back with his taser, sprawling him to the ground with his limbs twitching. The prison guards who had rushed to help now swarmed them, some dragged Blake out from underneath Ludwig whilst others pinned the German to ground and restrained him with handcuffs.

Feliciano scrambled to his feet, trying to push his way through the officers. "What are you doing? Stop it you'll hurt him!" he cried, watching helplessly as Ludwig was yanked to his feet, he hung limply in the arms of two prison guards like a rag doll.

Arthur grabbed hold of the Italian and pushed him back. "I'm sorry Feliciano but he left us no choice."

"What are they doing to him?" Feliciano struggled in Arthur's grip; Ludwig was being dragged towards the entrance to the prison by Alfred and another prison guard.

"He's being put in isolation, that's what happens, we warned him not to start fighting again." the Brit said firmly, finally releasing him.

"What!?" Feliciano looked alarmed, his stomach dropping like a stone. "But...for how long? Arthur I need him!"

"I don't know, a few days, it depends what the warden decides." the Italian gave him a horrified look and the Brit sighed. "I'm sorry but this is what has to happen when someone tries to inflict serious harm, no matter what the reason." Blake was being helped up off the ground by a guard and escorted towards the building where he would no doubt be seen by Elizaveta.

"But...but..." Feliciano stammered uneasily, everyone in the courtyard seemed to be staring at him.

"Look you'll be fine." Arthur said reassuringly. "I have to go and give a witness statement to what just happened, I'll see you later." he jogged after the other prison guards who had already gone back inside the main prison building.

Feliciano swallowed slightly, slowly rotating on the spot he stared around the suddenly very cold, hostile courtyard. He hadn't felt quite so uncomfortable since his first day here. Ludwig was actually gone, he was completely alone. The Italian kept stepping slowly around in a circle until his eyes met another gaze and he froze. A familiar face was creeping towards him, deep grey eyes locked onto his own as the skinny, yet rather muscular inmate moved towards him. Feliciano bit his lip, too rigid to move, all to soon he was face to face with this pointy chin, swallow cheeked young man, whose slim lips stretched into an overly-friendly smile. He thrust his hand forward towards the Italian and said in a low voice.

"Hi, I'm Johan."

* * *

**Hmm...I recall saying something about keeping up to date with this?...blehh I suck at updating :(**

**Hope it was worth the wait! Also just for fun (cause this is getting depressing) I'll give you a random fact about Britain, on every British passport there is a unicorn on the front ^^ it's awesome**

**Reviews are love :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Johan...Feliciano couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about that name sounded strangely familiar. As if they'd perhaps met previously or his name had been mentioned in conversation. The Italian took a hesitant step back from this man, looking at him with a mixture of suspicion and intrigue. Johan merely continued to smile at him, his hand held out between them for an expectant handshake.

Whether he knew him or not; Feliciano hadn't noticed anyone giving this man any kind of girth as they passed him in the courtyard, or shooting him any fearful, anxious looks. He clearly wasn't feared in any shape or form, and despite the way his dark eyes seemed to bore into Italian, and the way the sharp features of his face made him look somewhat like a vulture, he didn't seem all that scary on the surface.

Feliciano therefore attempted a smile back, even though it came out something more of a grimace, as he lifted a trembling hand to shake the man's in front of him. "Hi, I'm Feliciano..." he was startled by how his voice shook along with the tremors of his hand, a reaction no doubt from the unsettling scenes that had taken place just before.

Johan looked just as curious, carefully lifting the Italian's hand he was still grasping to lie on his open palm. "...wow, I'm not that scary am I?" he asked jokingly, holding up the shaking hand for Feliciano to see himself.

The young man smiled weakly as he pulled his hand away, a little more at ease from the jape. "...no, not you, I just...I guess I'm a little shaken from what just happened..." he muttered quietly, casting a wary glance at the gravely tarmac behind them where specs of Blake's blood were spotted at their feet.

Johan followed the Italian's gaze, his eyebrows creasing as if attempting to soften his eyes. "I bet, I saw what happened...the guards in here can be a bunch of pricks can't they?" he said in his soft, deep voice.

Feliciano shrugged slightly, tucking his hands up inside his sleeves. "Not...always..." he shifted his gaze from the ground to the towering prison blocks where Arthur and Alfred had disappeared to with Ludwig; it was hard to deny the man's words.

"They're not shy to show favouritism." Johan said with a shake of the head. "They hate Ludwig."

Feliciano's head snapped back round to stare at the man who stood merely two inches taller than himself. "You know Ludwig?" he asked softly.

Johan's thin mouth stretched into a grin. "...everyone knows Ludwig." he answered slowly.

"...they know of him, not who he is." Feliciano said defensively, feeling a strange surge of courage.

The skinny brunette just continued to smile at him, the Italian couldn't decide whether it was reassuringly or disturbing. "I know who he is." Johan emphasised quietly, his dark eyes flitting about the courtyard as he quickly moved on. "Hey do you mind if we sit down?" he asked suddenly in a friendly manner, and rather than waiting for a response he placed a firm yet gentle hand on Feliciano's shoulder and steered him towards the leafless, lone tree he and Ludwig would often sit at.

Feliciano seemed a little hesitant at first but this man didn't seem particularly harmful; Johan let go of his shoulder so he could sit himself down beneath the skinny branches, stretching his legs out in front of him in a calm, relaxed way. The Italian spent another few awkward moments dithering before he relented, and took a tentative seat beside him, yet not in too close proximity of him. Feliciano wasn't entirely sure what he was doing with this stranger, he was certain he'd seen him somewhere in the prison before...although he couldn't recall if they'd had any previous encounters. However he was still in rather a state of shock from Ludwig's violent lashing out, and when Alfred had tasered him...Feliciano shuddered, it made him feel sick to think about it; the German just lying there, sprawled out on the ground with his limbs twitching from the intense electrical current that was shot through his body.

Feliciano bit his lip, curling his knees up against his chest he cuddled them to his body. His core had started shaking again, both for Ludwig's safety but also for his own...he felt unbelievably vulnerable without the German by his side; this was only increased by the absence of the British and American prison guards. Feliciano thought about what Arthur had said was going to happen to Ludwig...what exactly did isolation involve? Aside from the obvious. "...um, scusi...Johan?" the Italian spoke up quietly into the silence between them.

Johan glanced up from where he'd been staring somewhere to his right with a kind smile on his face. "Yeah?"

Feliciano managed to relax slightly upon hearing Johan's bright voice. "...what exactly is...I mean Arthur said Ludwig was being taken to isolation." he said slowly in befuddlement.

Johan nodded, scratching a hand through his dishevelled, unkempt brunette hair. "Yeah, they do that whenever someone goes crazy and violent in here." he said with a slight shrug.

"Has it ever happened to you?" Feliciano asked quietly, glancing over at him.

Johan shook his head. "Nah, but I know someone who told me all about it."

Feliciano nodded slowly, biting his lip slightly. "What it's like?" inquired anxiously.

Johan leant back against the sturdy trunk of the tree, rubbing the back of his head. "It's basically just a cell you have on your own, only apparently it consists of solid walls, no bars or windows, so it's practically pitch black all the time...you just have to sit in there for a few days, all alone, they bring you food occasionally, but there's no contact with anyone." the man said softly, shaking his head. "Kind of a harsh punishment really, people can go mad staying in isolation too long."

Feliciano winced, he almost wished he hadn't asked. "...that's horrible." he whispered, eyes wide with concern, he bit the corner of his thumb, gazing over at the prison building. "Do you think...I mean would...would they let me go too?" he asked in a murmur.

Johan smiled. "Well it couldn't really be called isolation if they let you go too now would it?" he said warmly, chuckling throatily. The Italian sighed inwardly, nodding; the man beside him gave him a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "Hey, Ludwig will be okay, it's not the first time he's been in there, he can cope." he reassured him.

"But it's not fair, it wasn't Ludwig's fault!" Feliciano asserted, balling his hands into fists as he turned to face Johan.

Johan gave him a sad look. "Well...he was beating the hell out of Blake." he said delicately.

The Italian shook his head. "He was saying things, setting him off...it's not Ludwig's fault he's got a temper..." Feliciano said softly, tugging his fists into his sleeves.

"...yeah, and Blake sure can exploit it." Johan agreed, his grey eyes shifting towards the sea of inmates to his right.

"...you know him?" Feliciano asked curiously, eyeing the man slightly suspiciously.

"I know a lot of people in here." Johan said, slowly dragging his eyes away from whatever he'd been staring at. "But those two never really saw eye to eye, Ludwig and Blake." he clarified.

"Blake's just a bully..." Feliciano muttered softly, curling his knees further into himself. "...he starts all the fights and arguments."

"Ludwig's not a popular one." Johan said with a broad smile. "The strong, silent type, never a good choice in an all male environment...makes you seem like you've got something to hide."

"...that doesn't mean he's a bad person." Feliciano argued quietly, shivering slightly as a strong breeze swept past them. "We all have our secrets."

"That is true." Johan agreed, smiling down at him. "You know, you seem way too nice to be in a place like this." he said thoughtfully.

Feliciano couldn't help but smile a little. "Grazie...I could say the same about you." he said politely; the Italian couldn't really judge for himself with this first encounter.

"Thanks." Johan's smile grew wider, and his eyes darted briefly to his right again before he leant back into the tree, sighing contently. "Hey, you don't think Ludwig would mind if I sat with you on his table in the cafeteria while he's gone do you?"

Feliciano chose not to answer the question, thinking that he was almost certain what the answer was likely to be. "...you can if you want, I mean I'd prefer not to sit on my own." he said quietly, loosening the hold on his knees he let his legs relax out in front of him slightly. The Italian saw Johan beam at him, his grey eyes darted sideways again at someone and Feliciano interjected quickly. "But..." Johan turned back to him. "...only if it's just you, I mean...I don't really know anyone else in here..."

Johan nodded, he was still smiling yet it didn't seem to be radiating at all in the dark pits of his eyes. "Sure, I don't really have any friends in here either."

"Well when Ludwig gets back I'm sure he wouldn't mind you hanging out with us sometimes." Feliciano said kindly, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"Yeah." Johan said, giving a throaty chuckle. "I'm sure he wouldn't."

**~0~**

Alfred yawned softly, flexing his hand as he scrawled the last few lines of his witness statement down haphazardly with his almost defunct biro. He couldn't stand these things. Of all the duties he had as a prison guard the paperwork was the worst, and the witness statements were the most tedious by far. The American never understood why they were necessary, he'd be happy to give an account of goings on in the prison to the warden in person rather than scrawling it all down, he always ended up accidentally missing out little details; it frustrated him to read through it when he was finished and realise parts were missing, but he'd usually be too tired to bother going back and adding anything in.

He glanced up at the clock and saw it was nearly eleven. Night watchman duties were due to start soon, which meant he could head home for a good nights rest as it was his partner's turn to stay on duty tonight. Alfred and Arthur had their own place to sleep in the prison (it reminded the American an awful lot of one of the cells) when they needed to take breaks from patrolling their block. He hoped eventually the prison would start hiring some new staff soon to take over some of the work, he missed having the Brit at home with him at night, and he knew Arthur felt the same.

However at this point in time his British partner had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since the incident in the courtyard with Ludwig and Blake. Alfred had never understood Arthur's sympathy towards the German; he was inmate just like the rest of them, in fact he was by far one of the most troublesome! So why the hell did the Brit always get so snarky whenever the American lay down the law on him? He was just performing his duties!

As if on cue the Brit suddenly appeared in the staffroom doorway, he swept in and dumped his own completed witness statement on the table. "The warden won't take this unless I have yours too, you done yet?" he asked in a sharp tone, deliberately not looking at the American.

Alfred rolled his eyes, signing off his name at the bottom he shoved the large form into the Brit's hands. "Yeah I'm finished."

Arthur nodded, he scooped up his report along with the Americans. "Thank you." he said simply as if Alfred was a complete stranger who'd just held a door open for him.

Alfred sighed in exasperation, dragging himself up from the table as the Brit made swiftly for the door. "Dude seriously, would you stop avoiding me like I'm a dog turd and talk to me!" he snapped.

The Brit stopped suddenly just short of the door, he spun around on his heel with an innocent look on his face. "What?" he asked, one of his thick eyebrows raised.

"You know what." Alfred muttered, leaning back against the table. "I'm getting tired of this Arthur, at first it was just confusing but now it's actually getting annoying...why won't you let me do my job when it comes to Ludwig?"

Arthur pressed his lips together to form a thin line, his deep green eyes glanced slowly down at the American's belt. For one bewildering moment Alfred thought the Brit was giving him bedroom eyes and he would command the American to take his pants off, until he sharply spoke up. "The taser was unnecessary." he said quietly after a few moments.

Alfred glanced down at the taser secured by his hip, then stared up at his partner in confusion. "It was not in the least bit unnecessary, without it we'd have had a dead inmate on our hands." he said firmly, glaring at the Brit slightly. "Although I guess seeing as it's Ludwig you'd rather that happen then for us to stop him, right?"

"I'm not saying we shouldn't have stopped him." Arthur retorted, returning the glare as he dropped the reports on top of the kitchen counter beside the sink. "I'm just saying we could have done so without the use of the taser." the American scoffed and the Brit glared at him. "Ludwig was being provoked Alfred! You saw it same as I, it wasn't his fault."

"Oh right so he just accidentally grabbed hold of the guy's neck and accidentally started strangling him." the American droned, quirking an eyebrow. "Seriously Arthur that's such crap."

"I heard them! Blake was deliberately provoking him."

"Well maybe so but that's no excuse!" Alfred argued. "They're just words, it's not our problem if Ludwig can't handle a little teasing."

Arthur looked as if he made to go for the American but he managed to reign himself in. "...you never understand." he growled in a low voice. "It was taunting, Alfred...Blake was taunting him about his dead brother." he said coldly.

The American wavered momentarily before shaking his head. "Well even if the attack was called for I still think I did the right thing."

"That was not the right thing!" Arthur glowered. "The taser was uncalled for."

"It's times like those when we're supposed to use them! That's why we have them." Alfred objected.

"There were plenty of guards." Arthur shot at him irritably. "We could have easily restrained him ourselves with force, you didn't need to shock him with fifty thousand volts of electricity!" he argued with an accusing finger pointed in the American's direction as he strode over to him.

Alfred gripped the front of his blond hair, growling in frustration. "You are so two faced!" he snapped loudly, making the Brit jump. "Where the hell were you when we tasered that guy from block A last week who tried to jump one of our guys?" he asked incredulously. "Or when there are riots outside and we taser the main offenders huh? Where are your protests then?"

"I don't mind us using them!" Arthur cried angrily, his rather pale face going a deep shade of red. "But when we outnumber an inmate by so many there is absolutely no need! Those things can kill people, Alfred!"

"And wouldn't that be such a shame if Ludwig died!?" the America bellowed furiously jumping up from where he was leaning against the table, making his partner stumble backwards slightly. "It would be such a drain on society if a guy in prison for murder suddenly died!" he cried sarcastically in the Brit's face. "Well you know what? I know one good thing that would come out of it!"

"Oh really, what's that then?" Arthur demanded, glaring at his partner.

"If he was gone at least you wouldn't be such a jerk to me all the time!" Alfred snarled, his glasses misting up over his eyes from his hot, fiery breath; the American stormed out from the staffroom before the Brit could retaliate, completely ignoring a rather stunned looking face he met in the corridor.

Elizaveta slowly edged into the staffroom, holding an injury form up to half conceal her face, hiding behind it slightly. "Arthur..." she said quietly when she saw the Brit, he was stood in the middle of the small kitchen, his hands gripping the back of his head.

Arthur sighed inwardly, turning around. "Yes?"

Elizaveta lowered the form from her face to give him an anxious smile. "I need a guard's signature on this, can you sign it for me?" the Hungarian asked, slowly holding it out to him.

The Brit nodded, taking it from her he dropped it onto the table. "...how is Blake?" he asked quietly after a while, taking a pen out of his top shirt pocket he bent down to sign the bottom of the form with his curly signature.

"He'll live." Elizaveta said softly, perching herself on the table beside him. "A lot of bruising, a few cuts but nothing broken as far as I can tell...Ludwig did a bit of a number on him." she added with a sad smile. "I thought he'd stopped attacking other inmates now...what happened?"

Arthur sighed, standing back up. "With what I saw and can remember Blake was taunting him about his brother." he said softly and Elizaveta's eyes widened. "I don't even know how he would have known about that."

"Yes, it's not like Ludwig to tell people about his past." Elizaveta said thoughtfully, biting her lip. "So Ludwig was okay then? Usually I have to see him after a fight before he's put in isolation."

"That's the strange thing, Ludwig was fine." Arthur informed her, picking up the injury form. "Blake just stood there, didn't even attempt to hit him back."

"How unusual..." Elizaveta murmured, taking it back from him, she sighed softly. "Oh Arthur does he really have to be put in isolation? It seems so cruel..."

The Brit sighed deeply. "Yes, I'm sorry but it's our stupid policy...it's supposed to discourage inmates from fighting." he muttered with a roll of the eyes. "I agree it's cruel and unnecessary, if anything Ludwig needs anger management counselling, not isolation."

"Isolation just makes people worse." Elizaveta said concernedly, her eyes growing wider still. "Oh goodness, I've just thought...what about Feliciano?"

Arthur looked slightly uncomfortable. "He'll be okay." he said hurriedly, yet unsurely.

"Arthur you know he won't!" Elizaveta cried. "Arthur please, please get Ludwig out of there, if not for him then for Feliciano! You know Ludwig is the only one who can keep him safe..."

"I'll keep him safe." the Brit said firmly.

"Arthur you can't watch him twenty-four seven...and Alfred never really seemed to like him." she added softly, noting the way the Brit winced ever so slightly. "...what was going on with Alfred?"

Arthur grunted disapprovingly. "We always argue like that it's nothing new...he's just never understood." he muttered, nibbling slightly on his bottom lip. "He just has this belief that all criminals are monsters, monsters and scumbags without souls or emotions who need to be thrown away." Arthur glanced up at Elizaveta to find her nodding in agreement. "Thankfully I've always known better..."

**~0~**

_Arthur Kirkland stared at the judge with his mouth gaping open in shock. Ordinarily he'd try to mask his reactions, are the prison guard guidebook always advised, but in these circumstances he just couldn't hide his outrage and utter astonishment. The young Brit had just heard what had to be the most heartbreaking, soul crushing life story he'd ever heard, about an orphan with nobody in the world except a man he called his brother...a man who had been murdered. To hear the judge tell this poor orphaned man that he was guilty of murdering the man who had killed his brother, and was to spend a life sentence in prison was enough to make him want to stand up and object. Arthur didn't, he couldn't...in fact it was he who was to escort this poor man to prison._

_Arthur carefully approached the dock where this young, trembling German man was stood in handcuffs as he'd risen for the verdict. The Brit took a gentle hold on his arm and steered him to a room at the front of the court; Arthur glanced over his shoulder to stare at the jury and the judge alike, he could remember seeing a pair of dark grey eyes gleaming at him from the witness stand. The Brit slowly shut the door behind them, leaving him alone with this newly convicted man in this tiny, rather dark room. It was usually used for family members to say their final farewells before the convicts were transported to the prison, this man however, clearly didn't have a soul to wish him goodbye, and good luck._

_The man had his back to the Brit, but Arthur could make out the trembles in his shoulders even at a distance, he cleared his throat quietly. "Ludwig, was it?" he asked softly after a moment, the blond slowly nodded._

_Before he could say anything else, or explain what was to happen, the backdoor to the secure car park suddenly burst open, and the cheerful face of the Brit's young, recently employed fellow prison guard appeared. The American beamed at him from the doorway despite the gloomy atmosphere within the room, his companion never had been good at reading the mood, he was swinging a set of van keys around on his finger. "Yo Arthur! Dude I've been out here for like twenty minutes, we going to the prison or what?" he asked cheesily, holding the door wide open._

_Arthur's lips twitched to smile but he composed himself quickly, now was not the time for the American's playful teasing. "Yes the trial just ran on a little that's all..." he muttered, gently taking hold of Ludwig's arm again, who merely let him drag him along. "We're going to transport you to the prison now alright? I'll explain what happens once we've arrived." he said calmly._

_The German said nothing in response, nor did he give any kind of nod of confirmation or acknowledgement, the Brit looked at him worriedly; the newly convicted would nearly always display some kind of emotion, whether it be fear, anger or upset, or a combination of them all. As Arthur followed Alfred out into the car park, where the transport vehicle was parked just outside waiting for them, he caught the American's eyes briefly and he winked at the Brit with a bright smile. Arthur cursed the blush that lightly graced his cheeks at this, he thanked God Alfred hadn't been employed long enough at the prison to sit in the trials with him; it would be unbelievably distracting._

_However, as much as Arthur loved sitting beside his new counterpart in the van on the long journeys from the courthouse to the prison he found himself unsurely lingering at the back of the van as he helped the handcuffed German climb into the back. Just before Alfred tried to close the doors on Ludwig the Brit halted him. "Alfred." the American looked up. "I think I want to sit in the back for this trip...to talk to him." he added quietly, nodding towards the blond._

_Alfred glanced into the van; Ludwig was sat on one of the narrow benches slotted against the side of the van, he had his hands buried in his hair and his shoulders were hunched over so far he threatened to drop to his knees on the floor of the van any second. The American shrugged slightly. "Alright, I guess you can still look at the back of my sexy head from in there." he said with a grin, indicating to the glass windows that separated the back of the van from the front._

_Arthur smirked slightly yet continued to blush. "Don't flatter yourself." he muttered, rolling his eyes._

_Alfred laughed. "Dude don't deny it, we both know you love staring at me..." he almost purred, leaning into the side of the van. Arthur blushed even more, he grabbed hold of the edge of the door and hurriedly tried to escape into the back of the van; the America smiled, grabbing the door handles once he was safely inside. "You wanna get a drink sometime?" he blurted out quite suddenly, grinning nervously at the Brit._

_Arthur looked a little taken a back as he slowly sat himself down beside Ludwig. "...yes, I'd love to." he said softly, grinning back at him._

_The American seemed relieved. "Great." he laughed again before shutting the van doors closed, locking them from the outside. He gave the Brit a cheesy smile from the rear view mirror when he'd climbed into the front seat and started the van._

_Arthur smiled back briefly, deciding he'd mentally celebrate his upcoming date when he'd dealt with the matter at hand. He turned to the dismal German beside him, smiling kindly as the van started pottering along. "Hey, I heard your testimony back there." he said quietly to the blond, who offered no form of response. "...I just thought I should tell you, I was staggered by the jury's decision...I found your story very moving." _

_Ludwig's dead eyes glanced up briefly. "...thanks." he muttered robotically._

_Arthur gave him a sad smile. "It's such a terrible thing...I-I understand what you went through." he spoke softer to him, glancing anxiously towards the front of the van however Alfred had turned on the radio and was humming along to a song as he drove along._

_The German looked as if he tried to convey an emotion, Arthur wasn't entirely sure which, perhaps surprise. "...you do?" he murmured._

_Arthur nodded slowly, biting his lip. "Yes, when I was very small my...my father." he cast a glance towards Alfred again before continuing. "...he used to beat my mother, quite a lot actually." the Brit's words shook slightly as he shuddered. "It really scared me and I couldn't stand it, my mother just used to cry and she always had bruises all over her body..." Arthur said in a hollow voice, briefly closing his eyes. "...eventually she left him, but I remember once he almost killed her, he beat her so much she was in the hospital for days and I..." he bit his lip, speaking quieter. "...I can remember her lying there on the floor, my older brother called an ambulance, but just before my dad stormed out I...I remember I wanted to kill him." he breathed, and he felt the German beside him shift to look at him. "...even though I was just a kid I just, I hated him." Arthur spat. "I was so angry, blind with rage that I just wanted to...to grab a knife from the kitchen and kill him in his sleep." he swallowed heavily to regain his composure. "...thankfully we'd left him before he showed up at home after it happened...and we never saw him again."_

_Ludwig was staring at the Brit, his expression unreadable but his eyes were intrigued; Arthur looked at him, his face softer. "So I know what it's like...the want for revenge, when somehow hurts the ones we love it just..." the Brit trailed off, slowly shaking his head. "...it tears us apart, turns us into people we never thought we could be...and if I'd have been on that jury Ludwig, I'd have voted you innocent."_

_The German couldn't manage a smile, but Arthur got the sense that he'd appreciated the sentiment all the same. The rest of the journey had been in silence, save for the American humming and singing along to the radio in the front seat, until they eventually (a long while later due to bad traffic, making it now incredibly late) they pulled up inside the secure prison where Ludwig was due to spend what would probably be the remaining years of his life._

**~0~**

Elizaveta smiled sadly at him, giving the Brit a gentle hug. "Don't blame Alfred, he's young, and he didn't experienced what you had to endure..." she said softly.

"I know." Arthur muttered with a sigh. "It can just be frustrating sometimes, he honestly doesn't seem to have the ability to sympathise with inmates...I admit most do deserve to be in here, but the fact that he can't identity the difference between ones who do and the ones who don't..."

The Hungarian held the forms against his chest, smiling sadly at him. "Some people just don't see others for who they really are, or they simply choose not to." she concluded with a soft sigh. "We can't expect everyone to think like we do Arthur, most people will always just see Ludwig as a man who murdered."

"I just can't stand it." Arthur growled, sliding his hands through his messy blond locks. "I mean I accept the views of the parole officer and the warden and even the other prison guards...but Alfred's my boyfriend, and even he doesn't understand."

"I don't think personal relationships have anything to do with it sweetheart." Elizaveta suggested, gently removing his hands from his hair. "Alfred just accepts what he was taught to believe about criminals, he doesn't see people Arthur...and things like that are hard to change, he believes what he believes, and a passionate young man like him has opinions that would be very difficult to influence, yet alone alter." she squeezed the Brit's hands warmly, smiling softly.

Arthur sighed in frustration. "I suppose you're right." he muttered, shaking his head. "I sure can pick them well can't I?"

Elizaveta giggled slightly. "Oh sweetie you know why you chose Alfred, he's a lovely boy and he was nuts about you when you first met...he still is." she said certainly. "That's probably why he gets so het up about things like this, he's worried you're too trusting and that one day you'll end up getting hurt."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "That boy needs to get his priorities straight."

"You're his main priority." Elizaveta said with a warm smile, holding out her arm. "Come on, you need to take those statements down to the warden, you better do it before your night patrolling." Arthur smiled slightly, linking arms with the Hungarian he grabbed the witness statements from the sink on his way past as they strolled out of the staffroom together.

**~0~**

Feliciano yawned softly, rolling over on the narrow bed on the top bunk, sighing slightly as he stared blearily up at the ceiling the next cold morning. Last night he'd been unable to resist crawling into Ludwig's bunk, holding the German's pillow close as he burrowed his face into the fabric, breathing in the man's scent. It just made the Italian long for Ludwig even more than he already did. Even though he at least had someone to talk to whilst Ludwig was in isolation, it just wasn't the same.

He'd been worried about eating in the cafeteria without Ludwig being there to look over him, but the other inmates seemed to look right through him like they did with Ludwig, he seemed to have become invisible to them just like the German. A few inmates joined him and Johan at Ludwig's table, however they sat at the other end and thankfully they didn't attempt to interact with them. He and Johan spent most of the day together, just sat in the courtyard talking until they were locked back inside again. Johan wasn't a block D inmate like Feliciano, his orange jumpsuit bore his inmate number on the front alongside a letter C, to represent block C in the prison, the block beside his and Ludwig's. However a prison guard from block C who Johan appeared to be friendly with allowed Feliciano to stay with his newfound friend in Johan's cell until seven o clock when the Italian had to be locked up inside his own. Feliciano had been grateful as it aided as a distraction from thoughts of Ludwig all alone in isolation that would only worry him.

That didn't stop him worrying all night and most of the morning when he had what had to have been the worst sleep of his life, if he'd even managed to sleep at all. Feliciano slowly sat up as he heard Alfred and Arthur approaching, he jumped down from Ludwig's bunk before they could see where he'd been sleeping...he was a little ashamed of himself for staying awake crying half the night as he snuggled the German's pillow.

"Good morning Feliciano." Arthur smiled at the Italian as Alfred unlocked the cell to let him out. He managed a tiny smile as he wandered past, walking alongside the guards without saying much; Alfred and Arthur seemed to be having a spat again.

When Alfred had let the block D inmates into the cafeteria Feliciano was immediately greeted by the smiling face of Johan, who had just been let in through the entrance to block C. "Hi Feliciano."

"Ciao." the Italian said, smiling tiredly at him. "How are you Johan?"

"I'm great thanks, how about you? Want to go and grab some food?"

The two of them wandered off together towards the serving station; Arthur stared after them with wide eyes. Despite not currently being on speaking terms, Alfred nudged the Brit. "You alright?" he grunted.

Arthur blinked slowly, shaking his head. "Yes it's just...never mind." he muttered.

"No go on." Alfred pressed, poking him in the side.

Arthur glanced up at his partner, then slowly to the back of the head of Feliciano's new companion. "It's just, that man..." the American looked as well, his eyebrows knotted in slight confusion. "...there's just something about him."

"...what, he innocent too?" Alfred muttered coldly.

Arthur sighed, he was in no mood. "No, just forget it." he grumbled. "I was merely going to state there was something weirdly familiar about him, but I doubt that interests you."

Alfred sighed, and to Arthur's surprise he placed a hand on his back, rubbing gently, he never normally showed affection when they were in front of the prison inmates. "Look can we please stop fighting? I'm sorry I've been pissing you off, okay?"

Arthur couldn't help but smile slightly. "Alright...just promise me you'll stop getting annoyed whenever I'm looking out for Feliciano." he told him firmly

"Okay fine." Alfred said with a roll of the eyes.

"Good." Arthur said, and for the first time in weeks, the Brit leant up and kissed the American softly on the lips, raising a middle finger to the sound of the room bursting into whistles and jeers.

* * *

**I miss Germany :/**

**Is it just me or has FF changed fonts? :s**

**Reviews are love :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Antonio sighed, raking his fingers through his matted, curly brunette locks, long lost of their usual bounce and shine. He stared down despondently at the papers and letters littering the table in the small apartment kitchen, many of which had threatening words stamped across the font in blood red ink. The Spaniard took a few moments to rub harshly at his tired eyes before grabbing the next one, sluggishly tearing it open and skimming through the overly formal, almost angry sounding message, the fourth one they'd had this month from the bank. Antonio grabbed his gnawed, half-broken pen and dragged his notepad towards him, scribbling down a few notes from the letter along with some numbers; the notepad was almost bear of pages now, most were strewn across the kitchen floor in scrunched up balls.

The sudden strong, ghastly smell of tobacco floated all too unwelcomingly into the Spaniard's nostrils as he set about his work, wrinkling his nose in disgust; Antonio lifted and turned his head, he was startled to see his Italian partner stood restlessly by the bedroom doorway behind him, inhaling furiously on a cigarette.

Antonio made a point of coughing obnoxiously. "Lovino would you put that thing out?" he asked in between coughs, batting away at the grey cloud starting to accumulate around his head. "You don't smoke."

Romano glared at him, his eyes heavy with dark circles. "I do when I'm stressed!" he hissed irritably taking several erratic drags, ash dropping from the cigarette like snow to the floor.

Antonio sighed, spinning around on his stool to face him. "Stop that." he asserted sternly. "Seriously put it out Lovi it stinks." the Spaniard shook his head, going back to the scattered paperwork. "...and not on your arm!" he added, spotting the Italian's reflection in the microwave opposite him on the counter, starting to roll up his jumper sleeve.

Romano grit his teeth, flicking the blunt cigarette into the sink; Antonio carried on scribbling his notes, tapping slowly on a calculator sat on the table in front of him. The Italian started pacing back and forth around the tiny kitchen, prowling round and round the table like a caged animal. "I can't believe they didn't respond to our letter!" he growled suddenly, making Antonio jump. "Fucking pricks..."

"...Lovi one of their family members is in hospital in a coma and the guy they think is responsible is behind bars..." Antonio explained slowly for what had to be at least the hundredth time, frowning slightly when he lost his place in his current calculation. He sighed, setting down his pen he rubbed a hand down his face. "...they're not going to care whether or not his brother sends them a letter telling them he's innocent." he muttered, gazing sadly at his partner.

"Then we'll go to the hospital!" Romano snapped, halting his movement. "We'll go there and we'll wait for the family to show up."

Antonio shook his head. "...and then what Lovi?" he asked incredulously.

"I'll talk to them!" the Italian shot firmly. "Tell them what's what and make them realise it was a mistake!"

"What makes you think you can convince them Feli's innocent?" Antonio asked softly, slowly sitting up to stretch his back. "It didn't work at the trial."

Romano slammed his hands down in front of the Spaniard, sending the papers and letter shooting off the table. "So you just want us to give up is that it!?" he demanded, outraged.

Antonio stumbled a little on his stool in surprise. "No-"

"I thought you cared more about this family than that Antonio!" the Italian snarled, practically lunging himself across the table towards the Spaniard.

Antonio hurriedly leant backwards, holding up a calming hand. "Lovino I'm just saying that there's nothing we can really do to change what's happened." he said imploringly.

"That doesn't mean we can't try!" Romano argued, snapping back up straight he starting pacing in front of the table again.

Antonio sighed softly. "The more time we spend trying the more time Vargas' Place is going to stay closed."

"Fuck Vargas' Place!" Romano blurted out in disbelief, skidding to a halt on the smooth floorboards; he turned his angry glare on his partner. "I don't give a fuck about the goddamn cafe when my little brother is locked up in prison!"

The Spaniard shook his head, gripping at the front of his hair as he stared hopelessly down at the open letters scattered about the floor. "Lovino we need to start bringing in money again, we've been closed for so long I've had to start dipping into our savings-"

"I don't CARE!" Romano bellowed, the tanned olive skin of his cheeks growing a deep shade of red. "We're not doing ANYTHING until Feliciano is back here with us!"

"That's going to take two years Lovi!" Antonio cried alarmingly.

"Not if we work on his case!"

"We've been working on his case all day and all night for weeks now Lovi!" the Spaniard groaned despairingly. "It's time to accept that there's nothing either of us can do to get him out of there!" his voice was rising along with his uncharacteristic anger.

The Italian growled. "Well I am not going back to work until my brother is freed!" he spat furiously, his arms trembling at his sides.

"Now you listen to me Lovino Vargas!" Antonio had shot up to his feet, storming to the other side of the table to confront his Italian partner, towering a good few inches above the shorter man. "I did not give up my dream job to be with you here just so you could quit when things got hard!" he bellowed into his face, his curly locks practically standing on end. He stood braced with his hands curled into fists to take the full blow of Romano's response; the Italian opened his mouth with the intent of shouting back but his voice suddenly cracked and he drew in a large shuddering breath, breaking down into tearful sobs. Antonio's anger dispersed and his heart softened at the sight of his partner crying, he hurriedly enveloped him into a strong hold, cradling him tightly.

"Lovi..." the Spaniard murmured, his voice still quavering slightly, the remnants of his outburst. He kissed him tenderly on the forehead, holding him in a close embrace until the Italian's trembling shoulders ceased their shaking and his sobs quietened down into soft murmurs. Antonio gently pulled back, placing comforting hands on his partner's shoulders and gazing down at the Italian's lowered head. "Lovi, when I moved in with you we always talked about how nothing was ever going to stop us living our lives..." the Spaniard said softly, tipping Romano's chin up to look at him, it saddened him to see the large tears spilling down the Italian's face. "...is that not true anymore?"

Romano sniffed, scrubbing the back of his hand across his eyes. "I just..." the Italian's voice shook noticeably, tears still raining down his red face. "I never imagined that would include living without my b-brother..."

His voice broke on the final word as he threatened to burst into sobs again and Antonio pulled him close once more, stroking a hand through the dark hair at the back of his neck. "I know, I know...I know it's hard..." he murmured gently into his ear.

"I'm not moving on Antonio." Romano said as firmly as his emotion wracked voice would allow, clutching the back of the Spaniard's shirt.

"I'm not asking you to." Antonio insisted, slightly shocked at such a notion. He placed his hands on the Italian's waist, stepping back to look into his tearful face. "We'll still visit whenever we can and we'll help Feli get through this...but in the meantime we need to try our best to live out our lives as normal; we need to re-open the cafe and get back to work again." Romano opened his mouth to argue but the Spaniard placed a finger against his lips. "Feliciano would have wanted it Lovi, he loves Vargas' Place." Antonio assured him with a tender smile.

Romano sniffled miserably, taking Antonio's hands in his own. "...I just don't know if I can...I'll feel like I'm letting him down..." he muttered in a hollow voice, gazing at his partner's feet.

"You'll be letting him down if we end up losing the cafe, come on Lovi..." Antonio bent down slightly to meet his eyes again. "Feliciano would want us to carry on, he'll be out as soon as we know it, heck he's a sweet kid, with good behaviour I wouldn't be surprised if he got out in just one year." he said certainly, planting a gently yet deep kiss on his partner's lips, cringing just slightly as he tasted the ash on his mouth. "Come on, what do you say?" he asked quietly when they broke away.

The Italian sighed, dabbing his eyes dry. "...fine, we'll open tomorrow." he said quietly, taking a step back from the Spaniard. Antonio smiled at him and Romano managed a weak smile back before his usual stark expression replaced it. "...when's the next day we can visit Feliciano?"

Antonio glanced behind him at the refrigerator where they had a calendar pinned up, a red pen mark was circled around one of the boxes of the current month. "Just three days." he read, counting through the calendar. "The time will fly past, you'll see."

**~0~**

"Hey Feliciano." the Italian turned around, smiling warily at his surprisingly kind new friend as he appeared behind him in the courtyard that morning. He'd only known him the last two days but Feliciano had been incredibly grateful for the company, he was starting to become more and more comfortable talking to the man as time went on, he wasn't intimidating in the least. "How have you been?"

"I've been okay grazie." Feliciano said with a shrug. "What about you? Why weren't you at breakfast?" he asked curiously, having spent the last twenty minutes sat awkwardly by himself in the corner of Ludwig's table.

"Oh I was...busy, you know, talking to people..." Johan stammered vaguely, waving a dismissive hand. "Anyway how are you?" he interjected with a bright smile.

"Um, you just asked me that." the Italian muttered, laughing uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

Johan's dark eyes widened a little before he shook his head. "Yeah I'm fine, just tired I guess." he shrugged again, his pupils flitting sideways in that snake like way they often did. "Do you want to go for a walk or something?"

Feliciano nodded, smiling slightly. "Sì that'd be good, it'll keep us warm." he mentioned as he moved to Johan's side, the two of them slowly starting to wander aimlessly into the sea of inmates.

Johan kept quite close to Feliciano's side, gazing back over their shoulders to check they weren't being followed. "It is getting kind of cold isn't it? There'll stop letting us out here so-" the man faltered slightly, the words getting caught in his throat.

Feliciano stopped walking when Johan did, glancing back anxiously. "What is it? Oh..." the Italian bit his lip, creeping slightly closer to Johan's side. A familiar and incredibly battered face had just stepped out of the prison into the courtyard, his two eyes bruised and staring menacingly in their direction. Feliciano shivered slightly as Blake stared them down from where he stood; Feliciano's eyes darted hurriedly away from Blake's and he was startled to meet another dark pair staring back at him, these ones belonging to Eric who seemed to be waiting for Blake to meet him. The Italian was not aware these two awful men were friends; Blake stepped down from the doorway and he and the large skinhead Eric disappeared together into the dense crowds, never once averting their dark stares from Feliciano and Johan.

Feliciano was anxious to move away and he grabbed Johan's hand, leading them swiftly in the opposite direction towards the towering fence that housed them in the prison courtyard. "Sorry, I don't really like those two..." he muttered softly to Johan once they were far enough out of range.

"It's okay, I understand...Blake got Ludwig in isolation and Eric wants to fuck you right? I get it." Johan said casually, gently letting go of Feliciano's hand.

Feliciano nodded weakly before his brows furrowed in confusion. "...how did you know that about Eric?" he asked quietly, staring at the man next to him as the wandered slowly along the edge of the courtyard; they walked passed Arthur and Alfred and the Italian briefly waved.

Johan's eye twitched slightly but he forced them to stay neutral. "I...saw the auction." he stated simply. "When Eric tried to buy you...sick isn't it? That disgusting way they try to auction off guys, like they're objects or something." Johan muttered, shaking his head.

"Sì...it terrified me." Feliciano murmured, crossing his arms across his chest as he shivered in the cold. "If Ludwig hadn't stepped in...I don't know what would have happened."

Johan smiled at him, bearing his teeth in a way that enhanced his sharp facial features. "Ludwig's a good guy." he said softly, his grey eyes twinkling. "Really good...you're lucky to have a guy like him."

"...you say that like he's my...boyfriend, or something." Feliciano mumbled, trying to stop the smile itching to stretch on his face.

"Isn't that what he is?" Johan asked, raising a brow. "I mean...you spend so much time together..."

The Italian shrugged slightly, biting his bottom lip as a light pink grazed his cheeks. "Sì but that doesn't mean...I mean we're just cell mates..." he murmured.

Johan's smile widened. "...so no romantic feelings whatsoever?" he asked innocently.

Feliciano turned his head away from Johan as they walked, attempting to hide the deep blush burning his cheeks. "...that's personal." he squeaked shyly.

Johan chuckled deeply, clasping a slim fingered hand on the Italian's shoulder. "As I thought, it's pretty obvious you know...and I understand why." he added, smirking a little.

Feliciano continued to hide his red face, yet couldn't help slyly glancing at the man next to him. "...you do?"

Johan nodded, patting the shoulder beneath his bony fingers. "Of course, Ludwig's a very attractive man...strong, handsome, enticing..." the brunette trailed off, a light smile gracing his sharp face. "...why wouldn't anybody want to sleep with him?" he added shrewdly.

Feliciano's eyes widened and he spun around to stare at him. "How did you know I slept with Ludwig?" he gasped, gaping at him in shock.

Johan looked just as surprised as Feliciano, his eyebrows skyrocketing up his forehead. "You've actually slept with Ludwig?" he asked in disbelief, his lips slowly stretching into a grin.

"I...I thought you...I mean..." the Italian stammered, swallowing slightly. "...you said you knew."

"No I just assumed someone might want to." Johan said hurriedly with a slight smirk in his voice. "But I guess I'm not overly surprised you have...so there's something there then yes?"

Feliciano sighed, biting the top of his knuckle. "I guess there's no point lying..." he muttered.

Johan smiled widely but didn't push it any further, instead he dug a hand into his jumpsuit pocket and produced a small chocolate bar, holding it out to Feliciano. "You want some of this?" he asked kindly.

The Italian was glad for the change of subject. "Sì, grazie." he breathed a sigh of relief, opening his hand.

"Here." Johan broke the chocolate in half and peeled open the wrapper, tipping the broken pieces into the Italian's hand.

"Grazie." Feliciano said happily, popping a square into his mouth; it'd been a long time since he'd eaten something quite as tasty as this.

"No problem...hey what are you doing later?" Johan asked suddenly as they came to the front of the large courtyard again after edging completely around the entire space.

Feliciano looked confused. "Um, same as always I guess...why?"

"Well it's just that, you know we can work right? I mean we can work in the prison in the afternoons to pass time?"

"Sì...I tried it a while ago."

Johan nodded. "Yeah, so do you want to go and work in the kitchens with me for a bit after lunch?" he inquired casually, "Good way to pass the time."

"...it's not as fun as I thought it might be...the women in there are mean and all you get to do is peel potatoes and stuff..." Feliciano muttered, eating a few more pieces of chocolate.

Johan shrugged but patted his shoulder again. "But that was on your own wasn't it?" the Italian nodded. "Well together it might be okay, rather than sit in a cell all afternoon doing fuck all."

Feliciano was a little surprised at the unexpected swearing but didn't think anything of it. He smiled at the man, shrugging himself. "Okay, I guess it could be kind of fun."

**~0~**

Ludwig raked his shaking hands through his rather greasy, no doubt rather dirty blond hair. He sighed inwardly, not daring to actually make a sound, it only made things a lot worse. Hearing his own voice in isolation merely enhanced the loneliness, rather than kept himself company, so instead the German opted to stay silent with his thoughts...and as time dragged on, it was slowly driving him more and more insane.

For the last two days Ludwig had pretty much been sat in this one spot, on this narrow bunk in an isolated cell in complete darkness. He only knew how much time had passed by counting the meals he received, he'd had at least six, so he knew it had been at least two days. Those were the only moments when he got the tiniest glimpse of light from the small hatchway on the large, steel door that barricaded him in this tiny room as a guard would slide a tray into the cell to feed him. It wasn't the first time he'd been in here, but it had been a long time.

Usually Ludwig could handle it, he was used to being alone after all with nothing but his thoughts for companionship, and he liked the dark, it made it easier to sleep. But now he had other, much more important priorities. With him locked inside this dank cell; Feliciano was out there in the main prison all alone, no one to look out for him or keep people who would want to hurt him at bay. It had been driving the German insane, making his time in isolation that much more unendurable. Ordinarily he'd take his punishment with dignity, lying back on this cold bunk in the dark in complete silence for days on end, refusing to let the torment of darkness and loneliness break down his sanity, like he knew it had happened to so many inmates.

But this time was different, he couldn't do it. All Ludwig could think about was Feliciano. Was he okay? Had someone attacked him? Was he being forced into an abusive relationship with some sick bastard? The German felt sick, sitting bolt upright on the bed and clawing harshly at his hair.

A loud scraping noise startled him and he looked up to see the small hatchway sliding open and a tray being pushed into the cell. Ludwig shot up off the bed when he recognised the silver watch on the wrist of the guard pushing his food through the hatchway; it had the British flag encrusted behind the clock hands.

"Arthur! Wait!" Ludwig called, banging a hand on the metal door before the hand completely withdrew.

A sigh answered him from the other side of the door. "Ludwig, you know I'm not allowed to communicate with you-" the hand pulled away from the hatchway.

"Just listen please!" the German begged, jamming his fist into the small gap before the Brit could slide it closed again. "Please just tell me if Feli's okay."

"Ludwig please I have to go." Arthur said firmly, yet from the volume of his voice the German knew he was staying put by the door.

"Just answer me please! I need to know Arthur." Ludwig implored, bending down to stare desperately through the hatchway where a dim light was protruding from, penetrating through the darkness of his isolated cell, he could just see the British prison guard's side.

Arthur glanced anxiously around before leaning down to meet Ludwig's eyes through the gap. "Feliciano is okay Ludwig, alright? I promise." he said calmly.

Ludwig inhaled deeply, slowly nodding. "Thank Gott...no ones been bothering him then?"

"No, in fact he's actually made a friend." Arthur informed him quietly, still looking around, worried about being caught.

Ludwig's heart sank. "What?"

"He's starting hanging around with some block C inmate." the Brit answered. "They seem to get on well."

"Who is he?" Ludwig asked, suddenly sounding panicky again. "Who is this guy? Do I know him?"

"I'm not sure of his name, um..." Arthur was still distracted with checking the coast was clear. "I don't know, he's...he's quite tall, skinny, weird grey eyes...pointy chin..."

Ludwig was momentarily vexed until the air in his lungs was suddenly wheezed out of him. "Scheiße..." he breathed, the German banged on the door to bring Arthur's attention back to him. "Scheiße Arthur, think...his name isn't, Johan...is it?"

The Brit perked up. "Oh yes I think it is, Feliciano said his name the other-"

"NEIN NEIN! OH GOTT!" Ludwig exploded with erratic panic, banging his fists into the large door.

Arthur jumped away in shock. "What? What's wrong?" he asked concernedly.

"Arthur!" Ludwig blurted out in disbelief, pressing his face right into the hatchway. "Think! Don't you remember who that guy is!?" he implored desperately.

The Brit stared at him, edging gingerly closer. "...um, no why? Should I remember?"

"YES!" Ludwig barked, his blue eyes wide with hysteria. "Think Arthur! Five years ago! My trial!"

"...your trial?" he said slowly.

"Ja! He was there remember!? He testified against me!" Ludwig cried. "Arthur come on!"

Arthur furrowed his thick brows, dragging up the memory from the back of his mind...he couldn't remember much else of the trial besides Ludwig's sad tale, wait...there was something else, a pair of dark eyes staring at him from the witness stand-

"HE'S GERARD'S SON!" Ludwig bellowed, losing patience, hammering a fist into the door, ignoring the seizing pain in his knuckles. "Remember!? The man who killed Gilbert! It's his son!"

Arthur's green eyes widened, his mouth falling open. "Oh...oh my..."

"Scheiße..." Ludwig clutched a handful of his dishevelled hair, head rapidly shaking from side to side. "...that's why he did it, it was all planned, all of it..." he whispered, jaw clenching.

"What?"

Ludwig threw himself into the door all of a sudden, letting out a loud roar, frightening the Brit a little. "GOTTVERDAMMTE!" he pounded his fists furiously into the hard metal, shaking his intense rage. "NEIN! I can't believe I didn't see this coming!"

"Ludwig what are you going on about?" Arthur asked beseechingly, keeping a slight distance from the door.

"Arthur he planned this!" Ludwig growled, dragging his blunt nails down the cold metal. "He wanted me out the way, he knows he-" the German's pale face drained, if possible, of even more colour. "...he knows, he wanted me in here because he knows." he whispered, his heart sinking to his stomach.

"Knows what?" Arthur questioned hurriedly.

"He knows how I feel about Feli!" Ludwig yelled so quickly Arthur almost didn't understand him. "Arthur you've got to let me out of here." he said in a low, serious tone, staring through the hatchway at the Brit's waist. "Please, I need to save him!"

"What?" Arthur leant down to look at him through the gap. "Ludwig, Feliciano is okay-"

"NO HE ISN'T!" Ludwig screamed, completely losing any strings of patience. "Arthur Johan is going to hurt him! Please! Where are they!?"

"I'm not sure, the last time I saw them they were together in the kitchens I think-"

"Arthur please!" Ludwig groaned in despair, staring desperately into the pools of green staring back at him through the hatchway. "I need to go und find him before Johan does something to him! Please Arthur he needs me!"

Arthur bit his lip anxiously. "Ludwig I don't have the authority to authorise-"

"Arthur Feli is in danger und if you don't let me out he could be seriously hurt!" Ludwig cried with wide eyes.

"I really...I really can't-"

"ARTHUR! Please do this for me!" Ludwig begged, intense panic written all over his face. The Brit still looked unsure, his fingers twitching as if wanting to go to the keys at his belt. The German stared him down, his voice lowering. "Please...Arthur, if you ever truly believed in my story, if you ever truly believed in me...you'll know what I'm saying is the truth, und if you're really my friend you'll let me go und rescue him from that maniac."

Ludwig saw Arthur's throat move as he swallowed, and a soft jingle told the German that the keys on his belt had just been grabbed onto. "...they'll never forgive me for this." he whispered as he slowly stood back up, his set of keys now held unsurely in his hands. "...and if you're wrong Ludwig, I'll never forgive you."

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**Scheiße - Shit...which be going down no doubt**

**Yay for slightly quicker updates**

**Reviews are love :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Feliciano finished peeling is his last potato, he'd lost count of how many spuds he'd shed with the blunt peeler. The Italian dropped the potato into the bucket by his feet now almost full to the brim with spuds, drying his hands on his trouser legs. Beside him Johan still had a considerable amount of potatoes piled up, he'd been peeling agonisingly slowly in the last hour; the three manly cafeteria women were conversing in gruff voices somewhere behind them. The prison kitchen was rather small and grotty, with a greasy stove, mucky tiles and no windows; Feliciano was sure that had to be health hazard. It wasn't as bad as he'd imagined however, time was slipping away relatively quickly and every now and again he and Johan had managed to sneak a grape or two from the fruit basket sat beside the sink when they went to wash their peeled spuds.

"Need some help?" Feliciano asked kindly, holding out his hands.

Johan glanced up with a distorted smile and pushed a handful of potatoes over to him across the counter. "Thanks, I've never been too good at this stuff." he muttered, staring down in annoyance at the grimy peeler in his hands. "You're fast at this."

"I get a lot of practice." Feliciano said with a shrug. "I kind of like it, it's relaxing...although we do ever even get given potatoes? I don't remember ever eating any..." he muttered thoughtfully, glancing up at the large grey shutters above the counter that separated them from the cafeteria; they were usually wide open during meal times over the serving station but now that it was the afternoon and lunchtime had past they were locked closed again until dinner later in the day.

Johan nodded slowly. "Yeah...I think they just mash them up and put them in the stew and stuff." he said quietly; his hands fumbled slightly over the peeler and he almost dropped it to the floor.

Feliciano watched him curiously. "...are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah fine." Johan gabbed hurriedly, beaming up at him with his wide grin.

The Italian smiled in an unnerved sort of way. "Okay." Feliciano went back to his potato peeling, much slower this time to try and match Johan's pace. Something about the way the man peeled his spuds didn't seem to be purely his inability to use a peeler well; he held it correctly against the potato in his hand yet seemed to drag it agonisingly slowly across the spud to scrape away the skin. Feliciano glanced behind him when he smelt a powerfully strong aroma of cigarette smoke; the three broad women had started smoking beside the rusty cooker despite the sign above their heads on the wall clearly stating it was not permitted to smoke inside the kitchens.

Johan almost slammed his peeler down on the counter, glaring slightly at the women over his shoulder. "Excuse me, but I think that sign says no smoking in here." he said in a harsh tone; the Italian jumped.

One of the women in a black hair net and with a rather large moustache narrowed her eyes. "...and you're telling us because...?"

"I have bad asthma, and I'd hate for it to come about again and to have to tell the physician it's a result of you three breaking the rules." Johan said darkly, the potato and peeler trembling slightly in his hands. The three of them looked momentarily unaffected by his words, then a slow dawning became apparent, they gave the two of them a sharp look before stalking out of the kitchen into the cafeteria, where they heard them leave through the backdoor into the empty courtyard.

Feliciano looked at Johan in concern, gently tapping his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked quietly, he'd never seen the man act quite so edgy before.

Johan dropped the things he was holding to the counter, stretching his thin mouth into that wide grin once more. "Yeah fine, just get a little touchy about smoking you know?" he tried to brush it off as a joke but his smile was wavering, as if it was taking immense effort to keep it fixed in place; the man's smile had never reached his cold eyes, but Feliciano had never noticed it as much as he did now.

The Italian managed to smile back before hurriedly going back to the potatoes; the two of them were completely alone in the silent kitchen, for a few moments Feliciano just continued to peel, until he slowly realised that he was the only one doing so. "...um, are you not carrying on?" he questioned softly, Johan was staring straight ahead of him at the grey shutters, his arms at his sides.

"Yeah, I'm just...just going to see if they have a better peeler, this ones nowhere near sharp enough." Johan said, slowly slinking away to the opposite side of the kitchen; the Italian heard him shuffling through one of the drawers and remove a utensil. Feliciano wondered why on earth the drawers weren't kept locked, people could easily steal from them surely, although then again the women who worked in the kitchens weren't exactly a bright bunch.

After another few moments of silence Feliciano heard Johan knocking his fist quietly on top off of the kitchen counter; the Italian glanced over in slight befuddlement, not entirely sure what the man was doing, and he could have sworn some of his knocks didn't correspond with the taps he was hearing. "...um, did you find one?"

"Huh?" Johan almost jumped, spinning around to smile at the Italian. "No, couldn't find any...hey I think we're running low on potatoes." he interjected quickly, glancing over at the rather large pile still on the counter.

Feliciano looked around in slight confusion. "Are we? I think we're alright..."

"Well with the rate you peel them they'll be gone in five minutes!" Johan laughed a little too loudly, his lips still twitching uncomfortably to keep his happy grin in place. "They keep them in here, can you help me carry a sack?" he asked, sliding across the kitchen to a closed narrow door that the cafeteria women had retrieved the potatoes from when they first arrived. Johan creaked it slowly open, holding it out for the Italian to enter first. Feliciano was still a little confused but relented; he left his peeler where it was and crossed to the other side of the kitchen to enter the small storage room, followed closely by Johan.

There were no windows in here either, the Italian flicked on the light which illuminated a dull glow from a single bulb above their heads. Wide metal shelves ran all along the inside of this box-shaped room, carrying huge pots and pans and various boxes of expired canned food. At the back of the storage room large wooden crates were stacked up almost to the ceiling and sacks of potatoes congregated in a pile in front of them. Feliciano edged slowly into the dark room, approaching the potato sacks; behind him he heard the door shut and the lock click into place.

Feliciano was just leaning over to grab hold of a full sack when he turned around in surprise. "Johan...what are you doing?" he asked almost anxiously; the man had his back to him, his hands still braced on the handle of the door that he'd now locked firmly shut. The Italian's anxiety was steadily increasing as Johan didn't respond, he bit his lip slightly. "...Johan?"

Still Johan refused to answer; the man was breathing heavily, his face almost pressed into the closed door. Feliciano took a tentative step towards him, feeling deeply uncomfortable at the uncharacteristic silence. He opened his mouth to speak again and his heart just about leapt into his throat when Feliciano heard and felt the presence of two more men in the tiny storage room. The Italian swivelled around on his heel and let out a squeak of shock, rapidly backing away as they emerged out from behind the stacks of crates.

"Blake! Eric!?" Feliciano cried in distress, staring up at these large brutes with fear-stricken eyes as they started to advance towards him. "What's going on?" he whipped around widely but Johan was still at the door, not facing him. Simultaneously the inmates lunged towards the tiny Italian and grabbed an arm each, hauling him upwards into their tight grasps; Feliciano yelled out in panic. "Ah! Johan help!" he squealed, kicking his legs helplessly as they dangled to the floor.

"Where do you want him?" Blake grunted suddenly at Johan, his meaty fists digging into the young man's arms and side as he held him up between Eric.

Feliciano's wide eyes turned to stare at the back of Johan's head. "...Johan?" he whispered shakily.

Johan slowly lifted his head, his hands dragging down the door to rest at his sides. "Just hold him there." he muttered coldly.

Eric and Blake hoisted him up further to ensure he couldn't escape, their hold was so strong the Italian couldn't even move his arms. Feliciano's heart was pounding a furious rhythm, his head shifting rapidly from Eric's pig-like face to Blake's beaten up, bruised skin. "Johan...what, what is this? What's happening?" the Italian pleaded, staring helplessly at Johan's back.

"Feliciano..." Johan drawled softly, slowly rotating on the spot to face the three of them. "...sweet, innocent Feliciano..." he strode closer towards them, once out of the shadows the glow from that single bulb was now lighting up the sharp features of Johan's face. "...did Ludwig not teach you anything about trusting others?" he asked innocently, his lips slowly twisting into a sadistic smile.

Feliciano stared at him with wide eyes; Johan's face had never looked so vulture like before, his dark eyes were a soulless, piercing black. The Italian stared up at the men holding him then back to the man stood in front of him. "You're...you're friends with them?"

Johan smirked slightly. "Well, I wouldn't say friends...exactly." he muttered, glancing up at the ugly faces staring down at him.

"Johan, what's going on? Why are you doing this?" Feliciano asked, his voice quaking in the men's hold.

Johan almost choked out a disbelieving laugh. "...you really don't have any idea who I am, do you?" he questioned slowly.

Feliciano's heart sank. "What?"

Johan continued to smirk, lazily shaking his head. "Funny...I'd have thought Ludwig would have told his sweet, trusting punk everything about himself, including who I am." he muttered, letting his gaze find Feliciano's, his menacing stare contrasting greatly to the fearful one that stared back. "God knows he trusted me, and we were nowhere near as close as you two."

Feliciano shook his head, what the heck was going on? What on earth had happened to Johan!? It was as if a stranger was standing before him, Feliciano did not know this man, with this cruel smile and low growl. "...what do you mean? Who are you?" he stammered.

Johan continued to stare at him, his eyes unblinking. "Tell me something Feliciano, does the name...Gerard, ring any bells?" he asked softly, tapping his finger against one of his hollow cheeks. "Surely Ludwig must have told you that sad tale of his pathetic life." he added with a smirk.

Feliciano's panicked mind was failing him, he could have said any name in the world and the Italian would have still drawn a blank. He swallowed slightly, his eyes flitting around the dark room for some kind of inspiration, it sounded familiar, it sounded... "...Gerard." Feliciano whispered and his eyes widened. "...that's, that's the horrible man who killed Gilbert!" he blurted out suddenly, staring at Johan in shock.

The cruel smile on Johan's sharp face dropped. "I think you mean to say, the brave man who was brutally murdered by Ludwig." he said in a low growl.

Feliciano's face contorted in confusion. "How do you know all this stuff?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly. "Ludwig wouldn't tell you!"

"He didn't need to, I was lucky enough to be involved from the start." Johan drawled, rolling his eyes when Feliciano's confused face didn't change. "...no I wasn't a witness to the murder itself, but it affected me just as much as it affected him."

The Italian did not understand what the man in front of him was talking about. "...what?"

"Gerard was my father." Johan growled, his hands clenching into fists that trembled at his sides. "The man Ludwig killed was my dad."

Feliciano stared at him, his mouth gaping open in shock. He could suddenly recall every detail of Ludwig's story clear in his mind; who the man he killed was, and why he had gone to confront the German in that bar in the first place. "But...but that would mean...you and Ludwig...?" the Italian stammered quietly, his forehead still creased in confusion.

Johan nodded and Feliciano felt his stomach drop. "My first, and my last, male lover." he said slowly, his voice trembling along with his fists. "To think, what one moment of weakness would do to my entire life...Ludwig's deceitful nature and cunning charm, he lured me into a false reality, tricked me into getting into bed with him, to lie with another man!" he spat darkly, his sunken eyes twitching. "Then the sick bastard killed my father when he dared to confront him about it."

Feliciano frantically shook his head. "But...but your father was-was mean! He wouldn't accept that you were gay!" he cried insistently.

Something dark flashed in Johan's eyes. "I am NOT gay!" he snarled, and in an instant he'd forced a clenched fist into the Italian's stomach. Feliciano gasped out in pain, hunching over as much as was possible in the strong grip of Eric and Blake still forcibly holding him up by the arms. Johan leant in closer to Feliciano, growling into his ear as the young man moaned softly in pain. "I have nothing against those who are but Ludwig forced me into his arms, took my innocence and tormented my father with that fact...it drove him insane, it drove me insane! He used me for sex and then left me to wallow in self pity." Johan's quivering voice steadied as he slowly pulled back, straightening himself up his mouth curved into a smirk. "...and it's clear from what you've told me Feliciano, that he did the same thing to you, he used you too."

Feliciano ignored the throbbing pain in his stomach to throw the man a look of confusion. "What? No...no he didn't."

"Is it not true that you've slept with Ludwig?"

"S-Sì...but he didn't use me!" Feliciano implored, shaking his head. "He didn't..."

Johan snorted derisively. "Maybe it's time someone told you the truth about Ludwig, Feliciano." he muttered coldly.

"I know the truth...I know who he is, you don't know who he is!" Feliciano shot at him, feeling a strange surge of courage even as the thick fingers grasping his arms tightened. "He wouldn't use me...he cares about me!"

"Is that why he allowed himself to be put in isolation away from you? Even though he knew it would happen if he started fighting?" Johan questioned innocently, folding his arms across his chest.

Feliciano shook his head. "That wasn't his fault! It was..." he trailed off, unable to say the name of the man currently holding onto him, he shifted his gaze upwards and shivered when Blake's cold eyes met his.

"What? All Blake's fault?" Johan replied with a harsh laugh. "I don't recall Blake hitting him back, nice job by the way." he added, nodding up to the large man covered in bruises. "You held your own; I wasn't sure whether you'd be able to hold back any longer."

"Just as long as you hold up your end of the deal." Blake muttered darkly and Feliciano felt the hands on both of his arms tighten.

The Italian looked swiftly from Blake to Johan, and from Eric to Johan. "What? You...you're all together on this?"

Johan rolled his eyes. "My my nothing gets past you Feliciano." he drawled with a smirk.

Feliciano stared at him. "...but why?"

"Why!?" Johan spat, his smug face breaking into anger and disgust. "Did I not state the fucking obvious before!? Ludwig KILLED my father!" he bellowed, his voice exploding in the confined space.

"But he killed Ludwig's brother!" Feliciano protested insistently.

"Completely by accident!" Johan hissed, his soulless eyes narrowing. "I don't know what Ludwig has told you about that brain dead sidekick of his, but Gilbert was an idiot if I ever saw one; a self-centred little prick who looked down on everyone for not living their lives the way he and his muscle head brother did." he said coldly, waving a dismissive hand. "Frankly his death was not a huge loss to anyone."

"It was to Ludwig!" Feliciano cried out, what little courage he had had yet to burn out. "Gilbert was all he had!"

Johan smirked. "You think I don't know that?" he queried with a quirked brow. "Ludwig spilt his bullshit life story to me some time before we slept together...brought tears to my eyes it did." he clutched his heart in an overly dramatic fashion, causing Eric and Blake to chortle from either side of the Italian.

Feliciano glared at him. "You're a monster."

Johan returned the dark look. "I'm not the monster, Ludwig is...once a murder, always a murderer." he growled, all the laughter now absent from his voice.

"Just like your dad." Feliciano let slip before he could stop himself.

Johan's face soured and the Italian received a second brutal punch to the stomach that had him recoiling in pain, he hung limply in the men's arms as Johan leant in close. "You're in a very vulnerable position here Feliciano, I'd watch what you say." he hissed darkly into the young man's ear.

"Are you done yet?" Eric suddenly barked from Feliciano's right, hoisting the man up further as he flopped like a rag doll.

Johan's thin lips curved into a grin "Patience, Eric, patience..."

Feliciano unscrewed his face, straightening up as best he could. "What do you want with me?" he moaned softly, panic rising through his chest again. "If you hate Ludwig then why am I here?"

Johan just smirked at him. "You're the missing link I've been waited for Feliciano, for three long years..." his voice trembled as he spoke, almost spitting out each word.

Feliciano stared at him in confusion. "...what?"

"I couldn't let it lie." Johan said simply with a shrug. "I testified against Ludwig in court, cried during my statement to the jury about how the heartless killer had slaughtered my poor father...of course they were on my side, and banged him up for life." he continued, a lazy smile tugged at his lips before it faltered. "At first I felt pleased, I'd done what I set out to do and put Ludwig away for life...but as time went on, I couldn't stop thinking about it. My poor mother was going insane without my father, I had to get a second job to help pay the bills she could no longer afford, our entire family was falling apart...I knew I needed revenge."

"But you got your revenge!" Feliciano argued, shaking his head. "He's in prison for life! Is that not enough?"

Johan was silent for a few moments, his dark eyes fixed on the single light above their heads. "...I thought it was." he said softly after a while. "But prison wasn't nearly enough for what Ludwig deserved, especially in this place!" he glowered, snapping his head back down to glare at the Italian. "The rules are so lapsed here it might as well be fucking day care! No..." he shook his head slowly. "_I_ needed to take something of his, like he took my father."

Feliciano gave a feeble attempt to pull himself free of the men's grip. "...Gilbert was taken, and he meant more to Ludwig than anything!" his arms were being clamped onto too forcefully, he couldn't budge.

"That was before he killed my father." Johan muttered darkly. "No, I wanted to be the one to take something of his, something that would torture his soul while he rotted away in here, driving him to insanity before his pro-longed, agonising death." he took a moment to calm himself, his voice shaking with the tremors of his fists. Johan put on a slight smile, a much colder, psychotic smile than Feliciano was used to seeing on this man's sharp face. "I set about a plan to get myself incarcerated here so that I could get Ludwig on the inside, it was simply a matter of high jacking a car, landing myself a few years in here in order to get my revenge...a sacrifice I was willing to make." he added in a growl. "Annoyingly I wasn't put in the same block as Ludwig, but at least inside here I could watch him, observe him, find out everything about him...granted he wasn't too happy to see me wandering around in here but there wasn't anything he could do about it, not unless he wanted the entire prison knowing about his past."

"You got yourself put in here just to get revenge?" Feliciano asked incredulously.

Johan ignored him, his jaw clenching just a little. "But there was lose end...Ludwig had no one." he glowered. "The only flaw in my otherwise perfect plan; how the hell was I supposed to take something away from him when he didn't have anything? Not a friend, not an acquaintance...the exception being that pansy British guy, but I couldn't very well do anything to a guard now could I?" Johan asked of the Italian, rolling his eyes into the back of his head; he clenched his fists at his sides, gritting his teeth. "Five years...how can a man be alone for so long!? I was going mad, I started to think this whole ordeal had been a waste, he was a such a loner I didn't think there would ever be hope..." the man slowly turned to fix Feliciano with a sly grin. "...and that's when a little ray of sunshine walked into my life, you, Feliciano."

"...me?" Feliciano whispered with a shiver.

"Of course." Johan answered with a twisted smile. "I've been watching you both, and God only knows how you did it, but you broke down Ludwig's barriers, got him to open up, got him to be your friend, got him to..." the man's smile grew. "...care about you." Johan took a step back, surveying the scene in front of him, letting out a sigh of content. "It was perfect, my plan was starting to formulate. I just needed to check, I needed to check that you meant something to him, that you weren't just a toy he was playing with, and that's where these two came in." he held out his arms to indicate to two brutes holding the Italian up. "I needed a test, something simple that would let me know he wasn't playing a game with you...I had Eric here test his loyalty to you." the large skinhead grinned down at Feliciano, making him shudder.

Johan smiled, "Simply by trying to take possession of you from Ludwig I was able to see his reaction, and when Eric here confirmed to me that Ludwig had been infuriated, and defended you immediately...I knew you were the one." the man drawled softly, slinking closer to him. "You'd gotten to him, in a way I never did..." Johan trailed off quietly, his eyelid twitching, then he carried on in the same morbid fashion. "I knew he'd go insane at the idea that something had happened to you, but first I needed him out of the way, he never let you out of his sight. Hence where Blake came in." another squeeze on the arm from Feliciano's left made him jump. "By providing him the information he would need to set Ludwig off into a blind rage I was able to have him put away, out of sight and out of mind." he said simply, brushing off his hands.

Feliciano's eyes widened and he stared widely around at all three of them. "But...but why would they help...?" he asked in complete bewilderment.

Johan gave him a cold look. "Do you know what it's like for inmates being stuck in here with Ludwig? It's hell." he muttered stiffly. "So everyone tells me; he's an arrogant son of a bitch who looks down on us all and expects everyone to do as he says, despite him being nothing more than a killer..." Johan smirked slightly. "I'd have had a harder job finding people _not_ willing to help me destroy him."

Feliciano swallowed slightly. "...destroy him?" he squeaked.

"Mentally, at least." Johan said with a smile, lifting a hand up to gently caress the Italian's cheek. "Imagine Ludwig's horror, the anguish and devastation at finding his poor little, defenceless Italian lover dead...with nothing he can do to prevent it." he uttered softly with a pout, pinching Feliciano's cheek.

Feliciano's heart dropped, the same intense panic he'd felt on his first days at the prison resurfaced; the Italian stared at him with fear-stricken eyes, desperately trying to tug himself free of the clamps on his arms, kicking and struggling in their hold. The three of them laughed at him as he tried to escape; Feliciano bit his lip, staring beseeching at the man in front of him. "Johan...Johan please!" he begged, his panicked breath hitching in his chest. "I...I'm sorry it didn't work out with you and Ludwig!"

Johan's cruel smile dropped instantly into a cold, hard stare. "...what?"

Feliciano whimpered softly, biting his lip. "...th-that's what this is about isn't it? That...that you're not with him anymore, your father wouldn't accept your relationship, and that now Ludwig and I-"

The Italian cried out in pain when he received not one but several forceful punches to the stomach in quick succession, Johan had a hold of the hair at the back of his head. "You really think." he snarled dangerously, slamming his fist repeatedly into his stomach. "That I give a FUCK about that son of a bitch in that way!?" he roared, taking his knee sharply to the Italian's stomach; Feliciano gasped out, painful tears starting to well in his eyes as he hunched over, hanging limply in the air. Johan took a step back, breathing heavily. "I've told you, this is about revenge, pure and simple." he growled, reaching into his jumpsuit pocket. "My father took away his brother in a freak accident, Ludwig deliberately stabbed him to death..." he slowly drew something out, brandishing it for Feliciano to see. "...and now I'm going to kill the one person Ludwig cares more about than his own selfish hind."

Feliciano went numb at the sight of the razor sharp kitchen knife Johan was tightly grasping in his hand, the man was advancing and the Italian was too petrified to move; Eric grunted irritably. "...you're not forgetting us I hope?" he growled down at Johan before he could do anything else.

Johan halted his movements, his eyelid twitching irritably as he was mere inches away from Feliciano, the knife held up in front of his face. "Oh for fuck sake." he spat up at him, lowering the sharp blade. "Fine. Do with him as you please but make it quick." Johan retreated into a dark corner of the room, the knife held firmly at his side.

Feliciano was momentarily vexed until suddenly he was forcibly shoved into Blake's arms where he was turned around and the man restrained him from behind, both of the Italian's arms locked firmly behind his back. The young man's chest was rapidly rising and falling with his panicked breath, the feeling the dread for whatever it was they had planned for him. In front of him he saw Eric hurriedly fumbling with the buttons on the bottom half of his jumpsuit, yanking them open; the Italian paled.

"What? NO! No get off me! You're not doing that to me!" Feliciano shrieked, twisting and turning in Blake's hold for all it was worth, using his legs to kick at the man's knees as he desperately struggled for freedom.

Eric glared at him, striding towards the young man he forced a hand around his throat, dragging him closer. "Listen you little bitch." he glowered in the Italian's face. "This should of happened weeks ago, and it is going to happen now. I've got a penis, and Johan's got a knife...and whether you like it or not one of them is going inside of you." his hand tightened around Feliciano's neck as his other was wrenching down his clothes.

Feliciano choked under Eric's hold, bringing his legs up he swiftly kicked the man in the stomach and managed to prize him away. "No! Get off!" he cried, using the full force of his body to struggle from side to side, fearful tears starting to spurt down his face.

"Squirmy little shit, stay still!" Blake hissed irritably as he grappled with the Italian in his arms.

"No! Let go!" Feliciano screamed, shaking his head from side to side. "Ludwig! LUDWIG!"

Johan advanced quickly from out of the shadows, fisting a hand into the front of the Italian's jumpsuit he pressed the knife threateningly against his side. "You'd better keep quiet, or this will turn ugly very quickly." he breathed softly into the young man's ear; Johan slowly twisted the blade so the point was pressed into him and in one slow, tortuous movement he slid the knife into Feliciano; it cut straight through the flesh and sent a stream of blood pouring onto the floor. "I don't think Eric will care one way or another whether you're dead before he does it, so if you can stop screaming long enough you'll get to enjoy it."

Feliciano's body shook uncontrollably, his senses had frozen with complete shock and he could only inhale rapidly as the sharp intrusion sliced into his side. The Italian had gone numb, his vision blurring from a combination of tears and fear, he could feel a large figure moving towards him in the dim light of the room, several meaty hands on his fragile body, wait, what was that loud bang just now? The hands around him hesitated, he felt the tight grip on his arms loosen until he was suddenly dropped to a heap on the floor at Blake's feet.

"...shit."

"Oh fuck."

Feliciano blinked up blearily, there was more light in the storage room now, and only when he felt the numbness begin to fade and his senses come back to him did the Italian realise the door had been kicked off it's hinges and was hanging wide open, the light from the kitchen bursting through. An intense throbbing suddenly enveloped the Italian, hot white pain bursting from his side and the young man crumbled on the floor, howling in distress. He could no longer comprehend what was going on through the torturous burning in his side, only that something was happening to the three men in the room; there was a lot of shouting, banging and angry snarls. Feliciano managed to squint open his eyes a fraction, whimpering in desolation as he lay on the cold floor.

"Feli..." someone was on their knees by his side, gently cradling his face in their shaking hands. "It'll be okay, everything is going to be fine." the Italian was hastily yet carefully lifted off the floor into a pair of strong arms; Feliciano opened his eyes and saw what had become of his torturers. All three men were unconscious on the storage room floor; Eric had blood pouring out of his nose, Blake's face was considerably more battered and bruised than it had been and Johan was lying face down in the smashed remains of a crate of canned fruit.

Feliciano's trembling hands found the handle of the knife still protruding from his side, he gasped sharply as he felt it, burrowing into the chest in front of him as he sobbed in pain. His inner body was shaking with tremors and he gazed up at figure holding him protectively and carrying him hurriedly away from the scene. "...L-Ludwig?"

Above him the German was backing into the kitchen door, racing through the cafeteria to get back into their block, his face was considerably pale, his eyes heavily shadowed and sunken. "Feli just hold on okay? Don't pull the knife out, just keep your eyes open." he told him firmly, his voice shaking noticeably as he spoke. He heaved the Italian closer to his chest, clutching him close as two people were racing down the block corridor towards him.

"Oh God!" Arthur skidded to halt, staring in horror at the blood oozing from the Italian and soaking the front of Ludwig's jumpsuit. "What happened?"

"No time Arthur!" Ludwig yelled, pushing past him. "He needs to see Elizaveta." he tore down the block towards the exit with the guards close on his tail.

"Arthur what the hell is he doing out of isolation!?" Alfred demanded, glaring at the back of the Brit's head.

Arthur ignored him, hurriedly following after Ludwig, tearing his keys out of his belt. "Where's Johan?"

"He's incapacitated in the storage room." Ludwig growled.

"Oh for fuck sake." Alfred snapped. "What the hell is the matter with you Arthur!? Just look what's happened!"

The Brit scrambled to unbolt the heavy metal door, wrenching it wide open; he turned to glare at the American. "Just leave it Alfred! Go to the kitchen and see what's happened but let me deal with these two, okay!?" he yelled dangerously, slamming the door in his partner's face once Ludwig had ran past with Feliciano held securely in his arms. "Jeff get on the phone to the general hospital we're going to need ambulances on stand by." he called to the man behind the glass in the main office who looked startled.

The German burst into Elizaveta's office, heaving the heavily bleeding young man onto the narrow bed; Elizaveta herself had been enjoying a cup of coffee at her desk and almost knocked it to the floor in her haste to get up and see what was going on. "Oh my Gosh! What happened!?" she shrieked, racing to the bed she tried to survey Feliciano but Ludwig refused to let go of him.

"He was stabbed in the side, he's bleeding a lot, please you need to help him!" Ludwig implored, staring wide eyed at the Hungarian beside him.

Elizaveta nodded determinedly, hurrying back to her desk she dragged her chair to the side of the bed, manoeuvring the German into it. "Of course, but sweetie please stay out of the way I need to have a look." she rolled up her sleeves and pushed her long hair back further into her yellow bandana, then she leant over Feliciano and got a good look at the knife handle sticking out of his side, where a large patch on blood was staining his jumpsuit. "Right, I need to get him undressed." the Hungarian dove beneath the bed where the metal frame held many boxes and trays in shelves; she located a big pair of scissors and hastily began to cut through the fabric of Feliciano's jumpsuit.

Ludwig helped to peel the jumpsuit off Feliciano's body; the Italian whimpered in distress when he had to let go of his side, the pain increased without his tight hold over it. Elizaveta grabbed a thick cloth and pressed down over the wound around the knife, mopping up the blood. "Okay, okay shhh...Ludwig can you hold this for me a second?" she grabbed the German's hand and placed it firmly on top of the cloth. "Just continue to compress the wound okay? I need to see Feliciano's file."

Ludwig nodded, pressing down on Feliciano's side he gently turned the Italian over onto his opposite side to face him, compressing down on the wound. "Just hang on Feli...it'll be okay..." he whispered, clenching his muscles in an intense effort to stop his arms from trembling.

Elizaveta whipped out the Italian's file from her desk and scanned through it as she hurried to the doorway where the pale Brit was watching the scene unfold. "Arthur, I need you to go downstairs to medical storage and grab me a blood bag, blood type A." she said, ushering him away.

Arthur shook his head hesitantly. "But I...I'm not really supposed to leave you alone with inmates, prison guidelines state-"

"Oh Arthur for goodness sake neither Ludwig or Feliciano are going to hurt me now please can you do as I have asked!?" Elizaveta snapped, rushing back to Feliciano's bedside. "Right come here sweetie..." she took the cloth from Ludwig and continued to press down on the wound. Feliciano moaned softly, his stomach convulsing in pan.

"Should we get him to a hospital?" Ludwig asked, his forehead creasing with concern.

Elizaveta bit her lip but shook her head. "No, no that takes too long, the hospital has to be called, ambulance needs to get here, security needs to be called up to escort him and the warden and parole officer need to be notified and give their permission for him to leave." she muttered, dabbing carefully around the knife. "No it's too much messing around getting prisoners to hospital, I better just do it here."

Ludwig nodded numbly, leaning over in his chair to cup Feliciano's face, gently stroking his cheek. "You'll be okay..." he murmured, his eyes bright with worry. Feliciano could only feel pain, he squinted to see the German in front of him, tried to open him mouth to speak but only moans and whimpers escaped him. He felt the Hungarian rubbing some kind of gel around the stab wound and within minutes the pain was slowly starting to numb to a dull throb.

Arthur was soon back and Elizaveta was hurriedly getting out a drip stand from beneath the bed, snapping the poles into place and wheeling it to stand beside Feliciano's bed. "Thanks Arthur." she checked the bag was the correct blood type before hooking it up to the drip; Elizaveta then attached a needle to the tube at the bottom and gently took hold of Feliciano's hand. "Right come here sweetie."

"He'll really need a blood transfusion?" Ludwig asked in a quaver as the Hungarian gently slid the needle into the top of Feliciano's hand, the German was holding down the cloth again over the wound.

"He's going to lose a lot of blood when the knife is pulled out." Elizaveta told him, she grabbed a pair of medical rubber gloves from a box on the counter and tugged them on. "It's going to get quite messy."

Feliciano let out a soft whimper, squeezing his eyes closed as he felt Ludwig's hand draw away from the cloth on his side as the Hungarian's replaced it. He felt Ludwig's soft fingers on his cheek again, trying to calm him. Elizaveta retrieved some sutures and a needle for stitching, some antiseptic gel and laid them on the bed before she grabbed the handle of the knife, ready to pull. "Okay, this may hurt sweetie but just hang on okay?"

"Feli." Ludwig tipped the Italian's chin back towards him as he tried to glance down at what Elizaveta was doing. "Don't watch okay? Just look at me, talk to me Feli."

The Italian stared up at the German with fear in his eyes, his breath coming out in sharp gasps. "L-Luddi..." despite the numbness in his side he could feel the knife being removed and the warm gush of blood that followed and poured down his body. He cried softly into the pillow at his head, his body trembling uncontrollably even as a cool gel was dabbed into the wound.

"Feli look at me." Ludwig said firmly, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Feli...what's your cafe called?"

"W-What?" the Italian croaked out, gazing up at the man leaning down over him.

"What's your cafe called? Talk to me Feli, it'll distract from the pain." the German said gently, scooping his fingers into the young man's hair.

"U-Umm..." Feliciano swallowed heavily, wincing as he felt a sharp intrusion slide into his skin. "V-Vargas' Place, it's called Vargas' Place..."

Ludwig nodded slowly, gently stroking his hair. "Ja, und where is it?"

"It's um...it's on Rutland street, near...near the-the church..." Feliciano stammered, his breath catching in his chest.

"Und what kind of things do you serve there?"

Feliciano couldn't answer Ludwig's next question, he searched through his mind for an answer but suddenly everything went blank and his eyes slid shut. Ludwig stared at him, gently tapping the man's face. "Feli, Feli stay with me..." he whispered, shaking his head desperately. "Feli! Open your eyes! Stay awake! FELI!"

"Ludwig it's okay-"

"Feli you can't go! Don't do this!" Ludwig wailed, shaking the man beneath him but his head flopped lifelessly against the pillow.

"Ludwig-"

"NEIN! This can't be happening! NOT AGAIN!" Ludwig bellowed, tears brimming in his eyes as he cradled the young man in his arms. "Feli don't leave me! You can't do this! I lo-"

"Ludwig!" Elizaveta shook him suddenly, yanking him away from Feliciano. "He's not dead!"

Ludwig fell back in his seat, staring up at her, his heart thudding dangerously fast. "...what?" he croaked.

Elizaveta smiled concernedly, gently lifting one of Feliciano's hands she placed it in Ludwig's own, curling his bruised fingers around the Italian's wrist she placed his middle and index finger against the veins. "Can you feel that?" she whispered; Ludwig stared down numbly at his hand, and he felt the unmistakable bump of a heartbeat beneath his fingers. "He's still got a pulse, he just must have passed out from pain, or the shock." Elizaveta said gently.

Ludwig took a long moment to come to terms with it, he nodded slowly, large tears starting to pour down his pale face as he held Feliciano's limp hand in his own. Elizaveta gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, softly rubbing his back. "He's okay, I promise you..." she murmured, showing him the stitch work she'd done on the Italian's stab wound. He was still lying in a large pool of his own blood, the blood from the bag slowly starting to replace it.

Elizaveta left the emotional man with Feliciano for a moment as she quietly grabbed a form from her desk and went to the doorway to meet Arthur just as he was getting back from the office. "Can you take this to the warden to sign Arthur? I want to keep Feliciano here over night to keep an eye on him and I need his permission." she said, quickly filling in the name of the inmate and the date.

Arthur nodded slowly, glancing behind her at the two men. "Will he be okay?" he asked softly, taking the form from her.

"Yes he will be..." she whispered, shaking her head in disgust. "...who did this to him?"

"Some block C inmate, as far as I can tell...there were three of them, they're being looked at by block C and A's physicians but I think they said that they'll probably need to go to the hospital."

"Why what happened to them?" Elizaveta asked in slight shock; Arthur sighed deeply, nodding to Ludwig. "Oh..." the Hungarian bit her lip. "Arthur please promise me you'll fight for him." she murmured.

"What?"

"You know what." she said firmly. "When people ask what happened, don't let them do anything to Ludwig, tell them how he saved Feliciano's life...and they should let him off."

Arthur nodded, glancing one last time at the broken down German in the seat beside Feliciano's bed. "I hope so...and I hope they let me off too." he muttered softly before he left with the form in hand.

Elizaveta smiled sadly after him before slowly approaching Ludwig again. "Sweetie do you need a glass of water or anything?" she asked kindly, gently kneeling down beside him.

Ludwig slowly shook his head, he still had his fingers pressed firmly against Feliciano's pulse as he gazed despondently at the young man, tears still seeping silently down his face. The Italian was completely out cold, lying on his side in the blood stained bed, his wound neatly stitched up and his chest slowly rising and falling with uneasy breaths; the pulse beneath the German's fingers the only reassurance that Feliciano was alive. Elizaveta gently patted Ludwig's shoulder, smiling up at him. "Sweetie, do you mind holding him for a second for me so I change the bedding? Don't really want him to be sleeping in all that." she said gently, helping to shift the young man over to the edge of the bed so that Ludwig could take hold of him.

The German carefully scooped the young man into his arms, lowering him gently onto his lap, he was sure not to knock the tube attached to the Italian's hand as he did so. Elizaveta went about making up the bed, removing all of the blood stained sheets and blankets into a bundle before she retrieved some fresh ones from underneath. The Hungarian made quick work of re-making the bed until it was done up with clean sheets ready for him. "There we are, you can lie him back down now...Ludwig?"

Ludwig didn't respond. He had his head burrowed in the back of Feliciano's neck; the Italian was completely limp against his chest and the German's arms were wound tightly around his back, cuddling him protectively against him. The German sniffled occasionally and brushed his lips against the warm skin of Feliciano's bare shoulders. Elizaveta smiled sadly, gently touching the top of Ludwig's head. "Sweetie...he really needs to lie down, it's bad for his stitches in that position..."

Almost immediately the German had stood on his trembling legs and carefully placed Feliciano back down on the clean bed. Elizaveta gently rolled him over onto his back, bringing up a soft cotton blanket to rest over the Italian. "There...he just needs to keep warm now and to get some rest." she said softly, checking the tube was still attached to the back of his hand.

"...can I stay with him?" Ludwig asked suddenly, one of his hands resting against the Italian's cheek.

Elizaveta bit her lip, looking incredibly hesitant. "Oh...no, no I'm really sorry sweetie but you can't."

"Please." Ludwig implored, gazing up at her with his bloodshot eyes. "I won't get in the way, I just...I need to stay with him."

"Sweetie I really can't, the warden would never allow it...I'm not even really supposed to have you here now." Elizaveta said apologetically, gently placing an arm around his shoulders as he sighed. "...but I promise you I'll take very good care of him."

Ludwig nodded. "Ja...I know you will." he murmured softly, glancing up at her in an almost thankful way, yet he couldn't quite manage to smile.

Elizaveta gently kissed his cheek, rubbing the back of his neck as Arthur reappeared in the doorway. "Ludwig, I need to get you back to your cell now so I can deal with everything." he said tiredly, handing the form back to the Hungarian.

Ludwig slowly got to his feet. "Alright. But please keep me updated on anything that happens with him." the Brit agreed to this and the German hesitated slightly by the bed before leaning down over Feliciano again. "You'll be okay..." Ludwig breathed quietly, pressing a lingering kiss to the Italian's forehead. He sighed deeply, nuzzling lightly into him. "...everytime I open my heart to somebody, something like this happens..." he breathed, kissing his head again.

Elizaveta smiled sadly, taking Ludwig's hand she had to tug him over to Arthur to get him to leave. "Get a good nights rest sweetie, I promise you everything will be okay and you'll see him tomorrow."

* * *

**Well, this is long...and horrific o.0**

**By the way if you're a medical student or you know about all that stuff please don't get annoyed about anything that's wrong I'm very aware that it's probably all inaccurate (although I reasearched it as best I could)**

**Reviews are love :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Feliciano wasn't sure what had awoken him at such an ungodly hour. Whether it was the soft light shining through the open doorway of Elizaveta's office; the dull throb that burnt in his left side or the scratching of a pen that he could hear somewhere close by. Whatever the case, the Italian was wide awake in the soft narrow bed, he felt strangely warm from head to toe and he looked down to find that his body had been completely covered in several thick blankets that were tucked firmly into the bed. The office was darkened by the shadows being cast by the furniture, from the little desk lamp on Elizaveta's desk and from the open doorway where the lights in the corridor were shining starkingly bright.

The Italian attempted to lift an arm to rub at his eyes but his actions were immediately hindered, not only from the too-tight blankets but the absolute exhaustion of his body. Feliciano managed to shift slightly to the right and turn his head; he was slightly startled to see an empty blood bag stood beside him with a tube attached that disappeared under his blankets. Elizaveta was sat behind her desk at the other side of the office, looking a lot less sparky than Feliciano was used to seeing her. She was leant over her desk writing by the small light, her long hair pushed back with the hand that wasn't busy writing, every so often she'd yawn and rub her eyes, clearly drained of energy like the Italian.

Feliciano cleared his throat, trying to find the effort to speak. "...El...Elizaveta." he croaked softly, his voice cutting distortedly through the silence.

The Hungarian looked up slightly startled at the sound, then smiled warmly. "Hi sweetie..." she murmured softly, slowly pushing back her chair as she got to her feet. "...how are you feeling?"

Elizaveta crossed her office and perched herself delicately on the edge of the Italian's bed, gently stroking a hand through the young man's hair.

Feliciano managed a tiny smile back. "...'m okay, hurts a little." he muttered, leaning into her hand.

"I'll get you something for the pain." she said gently, pushing his fringe back from his eyes. "...sweetie do you remember what happened to you?"

Feliciano gazed up at her through the dim light, slowly nodding his head. "Most...Johan and the storage room, Ludwig...then I was here..." he mumbled vaguely, his eyes rolling back into his head for a moment. The Italian blinked rapidly, forcing them to focus again. "Where, where is Ludwig?" he asked suddenly, panic rising in his voice.

"Shhh..." Elizaveta soothed, gently petting his hair. "He's fine sweetie, he's in his cell, probably sleeping."

"Sleeping..." Feliciano said dazedly still attempting to keep his gaze straight. "...time is it?"

The Hungarian glanced behind her to a digital clock sat on her desk. "Almost four in the morning sweetie." she said quietly, turning back to him.

"...why are you still awake?" the Italian murmured in bewilderment, staring up at the Hungarian's sleep ridden eyes.

Elizaveta smiled warmly. "I've got a bed set up here in case I need to stay over night but I couldn't sleep, I was worrying too much about you..." she gently pulled back the many sheets from the Italian's small frame and leant over to take a look at the stitches decorating his side. "...also I've been checking to make sure there's no signs of infection." the Hungarian added, gently pressing her hand against the wound.

Feliciano winced ever so slightly yet managed to smile up at her. "Grazie..." he said softly, smiling up at her. The Italian was silent for a moment, trying to recall what had been going on over the last few hours. "...so, I fainted right?" he asked slowly, the sketchy memories of the events following his rescue starting to come back to him.

"Yes, I think it was just the whole shock of it all." Elizaveta said sadly, sitting back up. "Ludwig had a bit of break down though, bless him."

"He what?" the Italian was feeling more awake now, staring up at her in shock.

Elizaveta held a gentle hand on Feliciano's arm in reassurance. "He thought...well when you fainted he kind of thought that...that you'd died." she said softly, biting her lip. "...and he got so worked up and hysterical."

"...really?" Feliciano breathed, his heart giving a gentle tug in his chest.

The Hungarian nodded, squeezing his arm. "Of course, he really does care about you sweetie...more than you realise." she informed him, giving him a gentle kiss to the top of the head.

The Italian couldn't help but smile, before a kind of cold dread filled him. "He knows I'm okay doesn't he? I mean...he doesn't still think-"

"No no." Elizaveta interrupted hurriedly. "I told him you were okay, he went very quiet but he understood...he wanted to stay you know."

"You mean here?"

She nodded. "He wanted to spend the night with you." the Hungarian looked at him sadly. "I would have let him if it was possible, honestly I would have." she murmured apologetically.

Feliciano gazed vacantly for a moment, he couldn't deny that the idea of waking up with Ludwig by his beside would make an incredibly uneasy situation comforting, but the sad look on the Hungarian's face buried these thoughts right down. "It's okay, I understand." he said softly, smiling up at her. She seemed rather relieved and squeezed his hand in appreciation before retrieving some strong pain killers from one of her drawers for the Italian. Feliciano had to take them lying down, taking a sip of water from a straw before he was able to swallow them. When he'd finally managed to get them down he relaxed back into the warmth of the bed, gazing up at the Hungarian as she took her seat on the edge of his bed once more.

"Elizaveta?" he asked quietly after a few moments.

Elizaveta smiled down at him. "Yes?"

Feliciano attempted to shift himself into a more upright position. "Do you know what happened? I mean...after I was stabbed?" he gave up after a few moments struggle, the pain in his side was burning more prominently with every movement.

Elizaveta blinked in surprise. "You don't remember?"

"I couldn't really see...I was hurting too much." Feliciano murmured softly, casting his mind back to the events just hours previous, he could only gage what had happened from the sounds he'd heard whilst lying in searing pain on the storage room floor.

The Hungarian nodded her understanding. "Oh yes of course." she said softly, gently placing a hand over his forehead. "Well, from what Arthur's told me all that happened was that Ludwig found you in the storage room and...well, in his words, beat the living shit out of Johan and those other two." she winced slightly as she swore.

Feliciano stared up at her. "All three of them by himself?" he gasped, more from the wonderment than the actual question itself; the Italian had seen the three unconscious bodies in the storage room and had easily deduced what had happened, but he hadn't actually stopped to think just how Ludwig had managed it.

"Apparently so." Elizaveta said with a warm smile, she gently ran her nimble fingers through the Italian's straggled hair, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "...love is a powerful thing."

Feliciano's eyes widened. "Ve?"

Elizaveta gently stroked his fringe, still smiling down at him. "It gives us strength, enables us to do thing we would never normally be capable of doing...Ludwig saw you in danger and he reacted in a way we might never have expected...well, we could have expected it, but not quite as brutal as it turned out." she said softly, yawning slightly.

"Why? What happened to the others?" Feliciano asked, gasping a little in pain as he attempted to sit up again.

The Hungarian bit her lip, gazing around the dark office for a few moments. "Blake was okay, I think." she muttered after a while. "He was seen by one of the other physicians but I think he's back in his cell now...Johan and that other fellow were taken to hospital though."

"Really? It was that bad?" Feliciano questioned hurriedly, his eyes evident with worry for Ludwig's sake.

"Johan has a concussion and I'm not sure about the other one...Ludwig really let them all have it." Elizaveta said almost with a smile.

Feliciano bit his lip, managing to wiggle one hand free from the confines of the blankets to take the Hungarian's. "He won't get in trouble will he?" he whispered.

Elizaveta squeezed his fingers gently, shaking her head. "I doubt it." she assured him, smiling at the deep look of relief that graced the Italian's face. "The warden went pretty ballistic when he found out, came down here to personally see Ludwig, but when Ludwig explained about how he saved you and how those horrible men were planning to kill you he seemed to come around." the Hungarian laced their fingers together. "Arthur got off too, the warden wasn't happy with him for letting Ludwig out of isolation but he couldn't deny that if it hadn't happened then they'd have had a murder to contend with...Ludwig made a point of saying that if the guards had been doing their jobs properly you wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place...but I think that was just to back up his case, not because he was mad at Arthur."

Feliciano was immensely relieved, but couldn't help the slight notes of doubt still plaguing his mind. "...how did Ludwig know they were going to kill me?" he murmured, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"He worked it out." Elizaveta informed him with a shrug. "Arthur told me Ludwig said something about Johan wanting revenge on him, and that killing you would be the perfect revenge."

Feliciano nodded slowly, he knew the story all too well thanks to Johan...but if Ludwig had known it was going to happen then why was the Italian never warned? "...how come he never told me who Johan really was?" Feliciano murmured quietly.

Elizaveta smiled sadly. "I'm sure he has his reasons sweetheart." she said, giving his hand a final squeeze as she gently let go. "You can ask him this afternoon."

"I can't go now?" Feliciano inquired, even though he wouldn't dare another attempt at sitting up.

Elizaveta shook her head. "It's too soon sweetie, I want to keep you here for a while just to make sure you're okay." she pulled the blankets around him tighter still. "You need your rest."

"...you too." Feliciano added as the Hungarian's hands fumbled tiredly with the fabric, she smiled, giving him a soft peck on the head. The Italian gazed up at her, smiling back. "Thank you Elizaveta."

"For what honey?" she asked, standing back up.

"For taking care of me...saving me." the Italian whispered.

Elizaveta chuckled slightly. "Oh sweetie don't be silly, it's my job."

The Italian smiled, "...thank you anyway."

The Hungarian smiled, stroking his hair again. "You're welcome sweetie." she leant down to give him another kiss, sighing softly. "...I hope one day I can get my official qualifications..." she murmured dazedly.

"Ve?"

Elizaveta shrugged slightly. "I'm technically not qualified to do this work."

Feliciano stared at her in disbelief. "What? But you're amazing!"

Elizaveta beamed. "Thank you sweetheart, but what I mean is I don't have a piece of paper to say that I'm qualified...I still have all the knowledge and experience needed but I couldn't afford the education when I was younger, so I taught myself and learnt from my mentor when I was first employed here." the Italian nodded. "The prison doesn't mind trainees with no qualifications...but one day I'd like to get them so that I can work in a real hospital, I don't think I could work here for the rest of my life." she said thoughtfully, slumping down onto the Italian's bed side once more.

"Why not?" Feliciano asked softly.

Elizaveta sighed deeply, "Because it just breaks my heart to see angels like you getting hurt in this way..." she murmured, giving him another gentle kiss. "Now I really should leave you to get some sleep, when you're feeling better you can go back to your cell and see Ludwig okay?" The Italian nodded, sinking deeply into the warm bed as his tired eyes drooped closed and his body's exhaustion engulfed him. He felt the bed shift beneath him as Elizaveta got to her feet and heard her shuffle away back to her desk. That was all Feliciano could recall before the strong medication he'd taken caused his mind to go blank and he fell back into a deep slumber.

**~0~**

Feliciano spent most of the day in Elizaveta's office. He didn't wake again until it was late into the morning and the office was shockingly bright as it always was during the day. The pain in his side had been severely reduced but Elizavate didn't want him up and about just yet until she was sure everything was okay. Arthur had brought him his meals during the day and Feliciano had taken the opportunity to question the Brit about Ludwig; the only thing he was able to tell him was that the German was still fretting about Feliciano, but that he was perfectly okay otherwise. The prison guard had wanted an account of everything that had occurred in the storage room for him to give to the warden, the Italian had been a little uncomfortable recalling the horrific events of the previous day but relented, and told Arthur everything that had happened and everything that had been said.

By the time Feliciano had finished his dinner he was sitting in a perfectly comfortable upright position on the bed, bandages had been wrapped around his waist to offer extra protection and he'd been given a new prison jumpsuit to wear. Elizaveta finally allowed Arthur to escort the Italian back to his cell, giving him a bone crushing hug around the shoulders before he left. The Italian followed Arthur swiftly down the corridor towards the prison blocks and almost ran down block D to get back to his and Ludwig's cell, ignoring the inmates who had no doubt heard rumours of what went on the previous day calling after him as he sped past.

Feliciano came to a halt outside the right cell as Arthur hurried to catch up. Ludwig was sat at the small table in the cell, his head in his hands and his shoulders hunched right the way over. His hair was still a mess and unwashed from before he'd been put in isolation, his eyes were sore and his knuckles were a violent shade of purple...but Feliciano had never been so pleased to see him.

"Ludwig..." he breathed, practically pressing himself into the cold bars, as if trying to squeeze himself through the gaps.

It took the German several moments to register the intrusion, clearly his mind was somewhere else. Only when Arthur began fumbling with his keys to get the cell unlocked did Ludwig slowly raise his head to stare with wide eyes at the Italian through the bars. "...Feli?"

Feliciano's mouth stretched into a grin, when the door separating them was slid open the Italian burst into the cell and threw himself into Ludwig as the German jumped to his feet to catch him. He had enough sense to make sure he was holding Feliciano around the shoulders but held him just as close as the Italian burrowed into his chest. Feliciano was sure he'd started crying, his breath hitching in his chest as he clutched the front of Ludwig's jumpsuit, sobbing into him as the blond gripped the back of his neck.

"L-Luddi..." Feliciano stammered heavily, nuzzling his head into the German's warm chest.

"Feli...I'm so glad you're okay..." Ludwig murmured, his arms tightening instinctively around the Italian's shoulders; he looked up and nodded at Arthur as the Brit locked their cell again, he said something about needing to go and take an important phone call in the office before he smiled at the two of them then disappeared down the corridor.

Feliciano sniffled, pulling back just slightly from the embrace to gaze up at the German with damp eyes. "...grazie, grazie Ludwig, for-for saving me..." he blubbered, his hands tightening on the man's jumpsuit.

"Don't, Feli..." Ludwig breathed quietly, leaning down to rest his forehead delicately against the Italian's. "...this whole thing was my fault."

Feliciano shook his head, tears continued to spill down his face even as Ludwig tried to wipe them away. He could feel the blonds' arms trembling slightly as they embraced and the Italian took deep, steady breaths, trying to calm down. After what felt like an age Feliciano's grip loosened and he took a tentative step back from the German, whose own eyes looked like they very well might be on the verge of tears also. A strange silence floated between them, both unsure of the next move, what to say...Feliciano had so many questions that needed answering but he couldn't think where to begin. He was overjoyed beyond belief to be here with the man but at the same time his sensible mind was poking and prodding him, asking him over and over why Ludwig hadn't prevented him from getting into that situation with Johan in the first place...

There must have been a resentful look flickering across the young man's face because Ludwig's eyes had drifted to the floor, as if ashamed. "...I'm sorry." he said bleakly after a few tense moments.

Feliciano couldn't help but soften. "Ludwig...why didn't you tell me who Johan was?" he whispered softly.

Ludwig looked up at him again in slight confusion. "I did...I mean I told you I'd slept with the son of the man I killed..."

"Sì..." Feliciano came closer to him, slowly reaching out to take his hand. "...but you didn't tell me he was in here."

"I didn't think that mattered..." Ludwig muttered, gazing down despondently at their joined hands. "I mean I've seen him around here all the time but I've never really even spoken to him."

"But you knew he wanted revenge." Feliciano said quietly.

"I only realised that when Arthur told me you two were together." Ludwig said hurriedly, taking a more firm hold of the Italian's hand. "I didn't ever think about it as a possibility before...I didn't think he was that deranged." the German muttered, pulling Feliciano close for a moment so he could kiss the top of his head. The Italian felt his face flush bright red and he gazed up nonchalantly and saw that Ludwig's pale face was the same. The German bit his lip, hurriedly putting some distance between them. "Feli, what went on in the storage room? What did Johan say to you?" he inquired suddenly to break the tension.

"He told me who he was, and why he was doing what he was doing." Feliciano told him, still clinging onto Ludwig's bruised hand even though it was limp in his own. "How he wanted to kill me to get revenge on you."

Ludwig just stared at him sadly, slowly shaking his head. "I'm so sorry Feli, I never meant for any of this to happen."

"I know, it's okay." Feliciano assured him, squeezing the German's fingers. "...I'm just a little confused."

"About what?" Ludwig asked softly in befuddlement, allowing his hand to squeeze Feliciano's back.

Feliciano sighed softly, moving closer to close the gap between them. "About Johan...about him and his dad and...you." he murmured softly, resting his cheek lightly against the German's chest.

Ludwig's free hand gently cupped the back of the Italian's neck. "...what do you mean?" he whispered against the top of his head.

Feliciano bit his lip, leaning back slightly to gaze up at him, his face quite serious. "Will you tell me the truth Ludwig?" he asked firmly.

"What truth?"

"The truth about your relationship with him, I mean he..." Feliciano winced slightly, anticipating a bad reaction. "...he said that you tricked him into sleeping with you."

He'd guessed as much, Ludwig pulled away from him rather sharply. "...und you believe that?" he asked coldly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Feliciano shook his head. "No...but if it's not true then why would he say it? Why would he try and make it your fault? I'm just confused Luddi..." the Italian tried to close the gap again. "...why was he so ashamed of being with a man? I thought he was gay."

Ludwig grunted irritably. "He is he just won't accept it." he muttered, his fists clenching.

Feliciano gently took of hold of Ludwig's closed hands, gazing down sadly at the colourful bruising that was brandished across the knuckles. "...tell me what happened." he said softly, gazing up at him imploringly.

The German stared back at him for a long moment before he sighed. "Okay." he hitched himself up onto the small table whilst Feliciano took a seat in the chair in front of his legs; the Italian's side gave a slight throb at the change in position but he ignored it as Ludwig cleared his throat to tell him the story. "I met him when Gil und I went travelling, he worked in the airport und I got talking to him whilst we were waiting for our flight...it had been delayed so I had several hours to talk to him und eventually we exchange numbers." Feliciano nodded encouragingly, Ludwig's face was still steadily darkening red, as if embarrassed. "When Gil und I got back from our travels I saw him again und we arranged to go out und get some drinks."

"So it was a drunken one night thing?" the Italian asked, almost hopefully.

Ludwig shook his head. "Nein, we were sort of dating for a while before it happened but..." he trailed off quietly, and the Italian nudged him gently in the leg to continue, he sighed. "We were at his place, und we were getting quite close in the bedroom...then he sort of stopped me und said that he couldn't, because he wasn't actually gay or he wasn't sure whether he was or not." the Italian inclined his head, Ludwig ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. "He just started kind of crying, saying how he did want it but he was scared of his father's reaction if he found out, that he'd hate him und abandon him...but I didn't force him to do anything." Ludwig added sternly when he saw Feliciano bite his lip. "I just sort of held him und said it was okay, that I'd just go home und nothing had to happen until he was sure...but then he just sort of grabbed me und kissed me to stop me from leaving, und we carried on until well...you know." he muttered, still bright red in the face.

Feliciano nodded. "...so he did want to?"

"Ja, I would never force myself on any-" Ludwig stopped abruptly, his eyes widened and he swiftly tuned himself almost right the way around away from Feliciano. "...any-anyway...he obviously freaked out afterwards und for some idiotic reason decided to tell his dad, but he clearly made up some bullshit story about me raping him to cover up the fact that he was actually gay, so Gerard came to find me und well, you know the rest." he babbled out quickly, his eyes focused on some interesting spot on the stone wall behind their cell bars.

Feliciano looked up at him curiously, bewildered by his strange behaviour. "...I don't get why he'd want revenge even so...his dad sounds like a horrible man." he said quietly after a few moments.

"He was a piece of shit if I ever saw one." Ludwig spat perhaps more harshly than he would have liked. "I don't get why Johan craved his approval so damn much...but even still, there was no excuse for trying to get you involved in this whole mess...he got everything he deserved." he added darkly, massaging his purple knuckles in the palm of his other hand.

Feliciano got up slowly and joined him on the table, Ludwig almost flinched away and the Italian became even more confused. "...what exactly did you do to them?" he asked, gazing down at his fingers.

Ludwig flexed them gently. "I don't really remember if I'm honest...I was in the kitchen und I just heard you screaming from in the storage room, so I kicked the door down und when I saw what was going on I just..." the German shrugged slightly, swallowing heavily. "I just went insane, started attacking them, I don't even know how I managed to take them all out..."

"...love?" Feliciano breathed softly, his heart hammering heavily in his chest.

"What?" Ludwig turned around to stare at him with his brows deeply furrowed; Feliciano wasn't sure if the German was confused or if he just hadn't heard what he'd said.

"...nothing." the Italian muttered, his chest deflating. They sat in silence for a good few minutes, not the comfortable silences that Feliciano was used to, it was incredibly tense, anxious and just a little fearful, neither seemed sure what else to say, what else was there to say? But how could they carry on like normal after everything that had happened? Feliciano glanced over at the blond, he had his eyes fixed firmly ahead of him at the bars of their cell which locked them inside the confined space. The Italian's eyes widened suddenly and a stone sunk to the bottom of his stomach as a thought had just suddenly occurred, something he hadn't thought about for a while now...

"...Ludwig."

"Ja?"

Feliciano stared at him from where they were sat side by side until the German slowly turned to meet his gaze. "...can we talk about when we had sex?"

Those words sounded even more hollowing coming out of his mouth than he'd imagined in his head. Ludwig's face that had been steadily returning to its normal colour suddenly burst into a scarlet red. He scrambled hurriedly to his feet and began jutting nervously around the cell but there was nowhere for him to hide, nowhere for him to avoid this. Feliciano watched him calmly even though he could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage; Ludwig's hands were nestled in his hair again as he leant against their bunk beds, his head pressing into the bars of the top bunk.

It was a long while before Ludwig spoke. "Feliciano..." the name left his lips in a hoarse whisper yet he didn't move to look at him. "...I...I don't really know how to explain..."

Feliciano slipped off the table, gazing at the back of his head from where he stood. "...Ludwig I just want to know what was going on-"

"I don't know Feli!" Ludwig snapped, pushing himself up with his hands braced against the top bunk. "I just...I'm sorry okay!? I didn't want to hurt you..." the German's voice wavered and sounded almost choked up, his shoulders slumped over with his head bent to the floor.

"What?" Feliciano stared at him in utter confusion. "Ludwig what are you talking about?"

"I just...I couldn't control myself, this has never happened before..." Ludwig moaned, gripping the back of his neck.

"Ludwig..." Feliciano brought his arms up around the man's shoulder even as they stiffened beneath his grip. "...what's never happened before?"

The German slowly turned around so that they were facing one another, his red face matched his eyes that were steadily filling with unshed tears. "...I've never raped anyone before." he whispered shakily.

Feliciano felt his stomach drop. "What?"

"I'm sorry Feli." Ludwig gentle brushed him aside, gripping his face in his hands as he crossed to the other end of their cell.

"Ludwig..." Feliciano followed him with his eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock. "Is that what this whole thing has been about?" he demanded in disbelief.

"Gott don't hate me Feli." the German implored desperately, tears starting to spill down his cheeks. "I couldn't help myself, but I never wanted to hurt you."

Feliciano shook his head, hurrying across to him. "Ludwig-"

"I-I'm so sorry." Ludwig sobbed, pulling himself away from the Italian's grip. "I never meant for it to happen!"

"Ludwig! You look at me right now!" Feliciano demanded forcefully, grabbing hold of his shoulders firmly he yanked the German around to face him. "Ludwig...you didn't rape me." he assured him insistently, slowly shaking his head.

Ludwig's damp eyes widened, his anguished face melting into confusion. "...what?"

Had the situation not been so serious the Italian would have laughed. "...is that why you were acting so weird with me after it happened? What would make you think you'd raped me?" Feliciano asked in bewilderment.

Ludwig's mouth gaped opened and then snapped shut again, unable to formulate a response, this happened several times before he finally found his voice, and even then it was croaked up and barely audible. "...but I-I thought...I mean you..." he swallowed heavily, closing his eyes. "...I was hurting you."

Feliciano hesitated. "...sì." he murmured, biting his lip worriedly when Ludwig's face fell at his response. "But that's only because I'm a virgin." he added hurriedly. "It would have hurt no matter when it happened."

Ludwig stared at him, "...really?"

Feliciano smiled slightly, nodding. "Really, I let you do it, you didn't force me...why would you even think that?" he said with a chuckle, letting his hands slide down the German's shoulders to find his hands.

Ludwig shrugged slightly, swallowing. "...I just thought you were submitting." he muttered ashamedly.

Feliciano squeezed the German's fingers lightly, gazing up at him. "Ludwig, I know in my heart that if I hadn't wanted it, if I'd told you to stop, you would have. But I didn't ask you to, because I wanted it..." the Italian whispered, blushing ever so slightly.

Ludwig stared at him, his breath catching in his chest. "...you did?"

Feliciano nodded, a deep smile creasing his face. "...sì, I was confused about what was going on, but I don't regret it...I liked it." he murmured softly, moving steadily closer towards him until the tips of their feet were pressed together.

"...I'd explain it if I could." Ludwig muttered, taking a more sure grasp on Feliciano's hands. "But I don't know why it happened, I just...when you were holding me I felt so..." he trailed off unsurely, his forehead coming to rest lightly against the Italian's own.

"...full of lust?" Feliciano offered quietly, their noses delicately brushing together as an invisible magnetic force seemed to be pulling them together.

"Nein, not lust." Ludwig denied at once; the Italian could feel the man's hands trembling in his own as he used his chin to gently nudge Feliciano's upwards towards him. The Italian's eyes shone with confusion as they locked onto the German's own, whose face was the complete picture of intense focus. "Love." he stated simply, finally closing the gap between them.

Feliciano's breath was stolen the moment those lips touched his own, his mind went blank like an empty vacuum. They were hesitant and uncertain, as if searching for answers, desperate to know if the feelings they bestowed were reciprocated. The Italian felt the warmth slipping away and he clamped his fingers down on the German's own, pushing himself forwards into the kiss. Feliciano whimpered softly against Ludwig's lips as they moulded delicately against his own, their chests were soon brushing together, their hands desperately exploring each other's hair. It became hard to tell where one of them ended and the other began, and the power of this knowledge only fuelled them on even more; Feliciano could feel his chest elating, the sheer happiness running through his veins at the prospect that Ludwig was kissing him, Ludwig felt the same way...he was sure he'd started crying again, the tears that ran down his cheeks joined the ones sliding down the German's own, forming droplets that fell silently to their feet.

The Italian suddenly became aware that he badly needed to breathe, he pulled back on Ludwig's hair, breaking apart their kiss. Panting heavily the two of them gazed longingly into the other, their faces flushed and wonderfully warm. Feliciano swallowed the lump in his throat, his fingers still twisted into Ludwig's locks as he whispered in a breathy voice. "I love you, I love you Ludwig..."

"Feli...Feli I love you so much." Ludwig murmured, gently cupping the Italian's cheeks. "Feli..."

"Luddi..." Feliciano placed his hands over the German's own, his lips slowly stretching into a grin.

Ludwig smiled back. "Mein Gott..." he let out a laugh of disbelief, gazing down at the younger man.

Feliciano shook his head, brushing away the tears from his face. "...wow." he breathed.

The German pressed their lips together briefly, squeezing him around the shoulders. "This shouldn't be happening..." he whispered, smirking slightly.

"Ve?"

Ludwig smiled, stroking a finger across the Italian's lips. "Wonderful things like this shouldn't happen to guys like me..." he muttered dazedly, shaking his head. "...you're far more than I deserve."

Feliciano brought the German's hands away from his face, lacing them with his own. "...but you're everything I want." he said sincerely, leaving no doubt in the German's mind that what the Italian was saying wasn't the absolute truth.

Ludwig smiled even wider. "I never thought I could ever care for anybody like I cared about Gilbert..." he whispered.

"I'm so happy Luddi." the Italian murmured, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Feliciano! I've got-oh..." Arthur faltered awkwardly as he came to a sudden stop outside Ludwig's cell, staring at the two of them embracing tightly. The Brit was panting slightly as he'd run down the block to reach them, holding onto his side.

Feliciano pulled slightly back from Ludwig, yet still clung onto his hands. "What is it Arthur?" he asked.

Arthur smiled at him, giving a laugh of surprise. "I've got great news, the parole office just phoned the office, Mr Honda came out of his coma!"

The Italian stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"The man you supposedly assaulted." Arthur clarified. "He woke up last night and the police went to see him in hospital, he was shown your picture and he told them that you weren't the one who attacked him, they're searching for the real guy as we speak but the parole office signed your release papers!"

Feliciano felt Ludwig's hands tighten on his own; the Italian swallowed heavily. "...oh wow...that's great Arthur." he said quietly, his chest deflated like a balloon that had just met the sharp point of a needle.

"Your brother has been contacted and he's coming to collect you tomorrow morning." Arthur went on, still beaming at the Italian. Feliciano nodded slowly but he couldn't feel anything, his body had gone numb. The Brit sighed in content, shaking his head. "I knew you were innocent, it was only a matter of time before it was proven...well, I've got to go and get everything sorted for your release, I'll see you tomorrow." he patted one of their bars and gave the Italian a brief wave. Just before he slinked off he gave the young man a bright smile. "You are a free man, Feliciano Vargas."

Feliciano felt as though he'd been doused in ice cold water, his gaze was still fixed on the spot Arthur had been long after he'd left. The Italian's throat had closed up, his chest empty, the news he'd been longing to hear for weeks...he was innocent, they finally believed him, he could go home at last...but...

"I'm not going." Feliciano said suddenly into the silence.

Ludwig stared at him blankly. "...Feli what are you talking about?" he said quietly.

Feliciano shook his head, clamping his hands tightly around the German's own. "I can't, I won't...not now, I-I can't leave now." he squeaked desperately, suddenly clutching the front of Ludwig's jumpsuit.

"Feli don't be ridiculous." Ludwig muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm not, I'm not leaving you!" Feliciano insisted hysterically, pulling him close. "I can't go...not now, no...I won't leave you in here!"

"Feliciano listen to me." Ludwig said seriously, gripping his hands firmly even as his own shook violently. "You don't belong in here, you're innocent und you belong on the outside."

The Italian shook his head, large tears starting to spurt down his cheeks. "You d-don't belong here either." he sobbed, nuzzling into the German's chest. "I can't leave you...not now, I-I love you Ludwig!"

"I love you too but Feli listen..." Ludwig leant down to meet his eyes, gently tipping his chin up towards him. "...this is how it has to be, I mean...this was what was eventually going to happen..." he trailed off into a murmur, swallowing heavily as his eyes blinked to ward off their own tears.

Feliciano inhaled sharply, his chest wracking with sobs. "No...it can't be like this, I-I need you!" he cried loudly, burrowing deeply into the man's chest. "Ludwig..." he moaned in despair, tears soaking into his clothes.

It was as if his whole world was crashing down, to be so monumentally happy and fulfilled one minute, to having his heart torn from his chest the next; Feliciano couldn't take it. Ludwig's strong arms wound around his neck, he could feel tiny droplets of moisture hitting the top of his head as they embraced. The German eventually pulled back, gazing down at the young man with his tear filled eyes. "We'll just have to make tonight count..." he muttered softly after a few moments, trying to offer the Italian a smile.

Feliciano let out another heart wrenching sob before he was swept up into a passionate kiss, and he tried to squash his depressing thoughts right down; Ludwig was right, they needed to savour this last night together, because they didn't know when, if ever, they'd get the chance again.

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**God damn why author suck so much at updating!? D:**

**Random fun fact I found out the other day, my boyfriend is Greek (not that I knew that already) and I can purr like a cat pretty convincingly, I was cuddling him a while ago and I purred (as you do) and he just looks at me and goes '...I don't know why, but I love it when you do that.' and I burst out laughing, of course (a Greek guy who loves a cats purr? What isn't funny about that to a hetalia fangirl? XD) he still hasn't worked out what's so funny, maybe I should introduce him to hetalia one day :') oh and I should probably get some Japan cosplay haha **

**Reviews are love :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Feliciano lost count of the amount of times he and Ludwig made love that night. Lost in a swirling cloud of their confessions and deepest feelings. He was doubtful that he'd fallen asleep even once, not wanting to waste a single second of their remaining time together. If they weren't making sweet, passionate love they were holding one another, curled up together in a warm bundle on Ludwig's bunk. Feliciano had never been so happy, and so distraught all at once. He'd made sure to leave an imprint, he'd dragged his blunt nails the full length of Ludwig's back and bit a large purple bruise into the side of his neck as a mark of ownership, to claim to anyone and everyone that the German was his, and only his.

When they were simply holding one another the Italian would cry, tears had run slowly down his soft cheeks all night and the sheets and pillows were sodden through with Feliciano's unbearable emotions. Ludwig hadn't cried, he was trying to be the stronger of the pair. However, every time the Italian had done so the man had pulled him so very close, gripping him tightly and burrowing his face into Feliciano's hair, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably for a few long minutes until he finally managed to contain himself...and then they'd make love once again and all their built up feelings would be suddenly released in a fiery passion, only to be slowly pent up again when it was over and as time ticked on; they knew their final goodbye was imminent.

Clearly by some natural instinct and understanding; Arthur had shown up an hour before he normally would to tell them gently that Feliciano's brother was scheduled to arrive, and he would be back at seven to come and collect him, to release him. Neither of the lovers spoke but the Brit sensed an acceptance and had left silently. Alone once more Feliciano once again began to weep, louder this time, his breath catching in his throat and soft whimpers bursting from his lips as Ludwig tried desperately to soothe him, but even he was fighting a losing battle.

Even though they had no means of telling the time in their cell, over the years Ludwig had developed a strong sense of the passage of such, and so eventually, after a final, slow, heartfelt love making session, the German very tentatively sat up on the bunk; Feliciano remained curled up in a ball on the man's lap, his eyes squeezed shut to delay the unavoidable.

"Feli...we should get dressed." Ludwig murmured softly into the silence, his voice hung there in the air like a cold fog, and there was no movement from the younger man. The German's chest rose and fell with a heavy, inaudible sigh and he brought his strong, rather harshly clawed arms to scoop the Italian up into a sitting position. Feliciano merely slumped into the man's chest and sobbed, moisture raining down his already heavily tear stained face. Ludwig kissed him tenderly on the forehead. "Come on, it'll be okay..."

Feliciano had never thought there had ever been a more horrendous lie; every word the German spoke, every movement to try and bring them to their inevitable end was tearing at his heart...Ludwig had to carry the young man down the ladder of their bunk bed, Feliciano didn't even have the capacity to stand on his feet when they reached the floor and the German placed him gently on one of the chairs by the table. The Italian stared numbly at the wall opposite as the cell gradually grew lighter, his side was aching as a result of the night's activities, but the pain from his wound was just a tiny pinprick compared to the throbbing ache inside his chest; only the heavy pulsating of his heart behind his tired eyelids gave any indication that it had not been wrenched out from within him.

Beside him Ludwig was slowly re-dressing himself into the orange jumpsuit that lay folded neatly on top of the table next to Feliciano's own. The Italian remained sat completely still in his underwear, no intention of even moving let alone pulling on any clothes. He heard a soft sigh beside him as Ludwig finished the last of his buttons, he unfolded the smaller jumpsuit and held it out to Feliciano, opening it at the middle for him to slide his legs into.

"Come on Feli...you need to get dressed."

"What's the point?" The voice that had spoken wasn't the Italian's own. It was harsh and unforgiving, cold and distant. "I'll be putting my street clothes back on in a few minutes anyway."

"Feli...please." Ludwig's own voice sounded rather strained, almost hurt, and Feliciano felt a pang of guilt for his unintentional outburst. He relented, slowly climbing off the table he slipped his legs into the jumpsuit and got trembling to his feet. Ludwig hoisted it up over his back, helped him to get his arms into the sleeves and then proceeded to slowly do up buttons on the front, his fingers stumbling over them as his hands shook. The man only looked up when a warm tear dripped silently onto the back of his hand. Ludwig's face softened with grief to gaze into Feliciano's sad eyes, full of heart breaking tears once more. "Feli..." he breathed, slowly holding out his arms.

Feliciano flung himself into the German's chest, letting out a heart wrenching sob as he did so. "...it's not f-fair." he moaned, his voice braking harshly as he spoke.

Ludwig tried his best to comfort the young man yet he'd been strangely quiet over the last few hours, only vocalising minimal responses; most of the night he'd relied on physical actions to express how he was feeling. Feliciano was torn between wishing Ludwig would speak to him or for the man to remain quiet...he wanted him to sob and howl, cry and bawl like he was and scream about how cruel fate was being to them...but if that was indeed the case then neither of them would be the strong one, the one that the other needed to pull them through this. Thus Ludwig remained silently emotional, offering only soft murmurs of comfort and gentle hushing as the younger sobbed into him and clawed at the front of his jumpsuit, never once showing any signs of breaking his resolve himself...although Feliciano was certain he was fighting an intense battle.

The bars to the cells that ran alongside their own did not slide open as normal at seven o clock that morning, the change was not a comforting one. Feliciano's hands clenched tighter on the front of Ludwig's jumpsuit as the slow, drawn out footsteps of Arthur Kirkland approached down the corridor. The Italian closed his eyes, knowing there was no way he could avoid this, hide from it. He could sense the Brit in their wake, he could almost feel his saddened gaze on the pair of them through the bars of their cell. Only when he heard the soft jingle of the guard's keys as he reached for his belt did a cold dread sweep through the young man, he seemed to have ceased breathing.

"...um, Feliciano...it's time to go now." Arthur said quietly as he fiddled awkwardly with his keys, meeting Ludwig's gaze as if searching for some kind of permission.

The German seemed to register the look, and gently prized the Italian from him. "Can I come to say goodbye?" he croaked softly at the Brit, still clinging onto the young man's hands.

Arthur nodded. "Of course, I can take you to the end of the block but that's where I'll have to leave you..." he took his time unlocking their cell and dragging open the bars to reveal a large gap, where he stood back waiting with his head lowered.

Feliciano's feet seemed rooted to the cold floor, tears still running silently down his face, not even his stab wound could penetrate the numbness sweeping across him. He hardly even registered himself being tugged slowly out into the block D corridor by Ludwig, walking slowly towards the large metal door that loomed at the other end. Inmates occasionally yelled at them as they passed but no one took any notice, not even Arthur acknowledged their demands to know why they were not being let out of their cells for breakfast. Feliciano's fingers clung limply to Ludwig's own as he shuffled slowly after him, an eternity past far too soon and he found himself face to face with a very familiar door.

Arthur went about unlocking and unbolting the heavy door and Feliciano finally managed to come to his senses. He turned sharply to face Ludwig, pulling him suddenly close by the collar.

"I'll wait for you." Feliciano said firmly, his eyes boring intensely into the man towering above him.

Ludwig stared at him for a moment, his brows knitting together momentarily before he shook his head. "Feli it'll be years und years until I...I mean if, if I ever get let out, if I manage to serve my life sentence Feli it'll be years...I'll an old man." he stammered uneasily, placing gentle hands on the young man's lower back.

Feliciano shook his head rapidly, "I don't care, I don't care Luddi I'll wait...we'll grow old together..." he breathed, brushing a hand through the man's dishevelled blond hair, cupping the back of his neck.

Ludwig swallowed heavily, his hot breath cascading over the Italian's lips, "Feli I...I don't want you to waste your life...you need to go out there und live it." he murmured hollowly.

"I can't...I can't live without you Ludwig." Feliciano whispered desperately, pressing their lips together harshly for a moment. "I only want to be with you..."

Ludwig shivered, wincing slightly as a bright light suddenly flooded into the corridor and momentarily blinded him; Arthur had heaved open the door to freedom. The German ignored the intense guilt burning through him at that moment and pulled Feliciano close, kissing him deeply. "Feliciano Vargas...I love you so much." he growled in a low, husky voice.

Feliciano felt on the verge of tears again and he kissed the man above him with such ferocious passion it was a wonder they didn't fall to the floor. "I love you Ludwig..." he gasped when he pulled away, gripping so tightly to Ludwig's collar the fabric felt like it might rip between his fingers. In that moment nothing existed but the two of them, they couldn't hear the loud complaints from other inmates in their cells, or the soft mutterings from the corridor just beyond where freedom lay...all that mattered was that they were together, holding one another in a lover's embrace, that their feelings and emotions were real and true.

Taking solace in the promise Feliciano had just made was the only reason Ludwig was able to release him. In the end Arthur was the one who managed to get him to leave, taking him by the arm he had to manually manoeuvre the young man away before he would come with him. Ludwig's fingers were threaded into his own hair as he watched helplessly, his bright eyes, for the first time, were filled with tears as he stared despondently at his lover being taken away from him. He only had the slightest bit of resolve to stop himself from leaping on the young man and dragging him back into his embrace. Feliciano's heart was full of despair, he could do nothing but watch as the Brit slowly dragged the door closed again once he'd stepped over the threshold. Ludwig's anguished eyes matched his own but his strength for the two of them allowed a reassuring smile to flicker across his face before the door banged closed and he was gone.

"Hey, you ready man?" Alfred was stood by the glass window of the main office, holding onto a clear plastic bag that Feliciano had seen once before. He was smiling rather kindly, his eyes sympathetic just like his partner's.

Arthur gave Alfred a grateful smile and nodded. "I think so...shall we go through?" he seemed only to be asking as a formality, he and Alfred were already leading the way down the brightly lit corridor. Feliciano followed in silence, only looking up briefly as they passed the open doorway to Elizaveta's office. It was hard to believe that only yesterday he had been in there, thinking about the love for Ludwig he had only just discovered in himself, and the possibility that the German might feel the same...the young Hungarian herself was currently absent from the office and the Italian's spirits were dampened even further.

He was taken to the changing room in which he'd been in when he first arrived at the prison. Alfred dropped the plastic bag onto the table and tore it open, tipping the Italian's street clothes out onto it. There was a new sheet of paperwork stapled to the bag to accompany the original ones that had been there when he'd arrived, several signatures littered the bottom of the new sheet and no doubt gave permission for his release. The American pushed the clothes across the table towards the Italian whilst he did a final check over his papers.

Feliciano undressed and clothed himself silently into his jeans, shirt and blazer, the ones he'd worn at his trial about a month ago. It felt so strange to be wearing normal clothes again, almost foreign, as if these were the ones that were some kind of uniform of conformity. Arthur was muttering quietly into a phone hung on the wall, most likely conversing with someone downstairs to find out if Feliciano's family had arrived yet. Before the Brit was done with the call the door to the room burst open and someone rushed in, panting and out of breath.

"Oh thank goodness!" Elizaveta squealed, hurling herself into Feliciano and clinging tightly around his neck. "I thought you'd already gone! Thank goodness I didn't miss you..."

Feliciano hugged her weakly, he opened his mouth to respond but no sound came out, his mind was not connected to any other part of him and he could not think how to answer her. Elizaveta pulled back, the smile of relief vanishing at the sight of the young man's dismal face. "Sweetie what's wrong?" The Hungarian need not have asked, Feliciano's sad gaze told her what was on his mind. She softened even more, gently cupping his chin.

"Oh honey...it'll be okay, you're free! You should be happy, you get to go home." Elizaveta told him gently, kissing the young man's forehead.

Feliciano nodded numbly. "...but Ludwig's still here." he whispered as a single tear shed down his face.

Elizaveta bit her lip, wiping it away for him. "Oh sweetie..."

"Promise me you'll look after him." Feliciano said suddenly, grabbing hold of her hands. "Don't let anything happen to him."

Elizaveta nodded firmly. "Yes of course sweetie, I promise you as long as he is incarcerated here I shall look after him as best I can." the young woman asserted, giving him another kiss. "...and you have to promise me that you'll take of yourself yes?"

"...I will." Feliciano murmured quietly.

Elizaveta smiled sadly at him, her own eyes shining with tears. "You're such a special guy Feliciano, it's been wonderful to know you...and if we don't meet again, I wish you all the happiness in the world." she said softly, squeezing his hands in her own.

"...you too, thank you for everything Elizaveta, you're a good friend." Feliciano managed a tiny smile, squeezing her back.

"Feliciano." the Italian looked up, Arthur had hung up the phone. "Your brother has arrived downstairs if you're ready."

Alfred handed the Italian his release papers and Arthur held a different door open for them, another one the Italian had once stepped through; the one that took them to the staircase that led down into the reception, the part of the prison that was accessible to members of the public. Elizaveta gave Feliciano one last bone crushing hug, and stood with Alfred to watch to him leave, clutching a tissue in her hand that the American had handed to her as she waved a tearful goodbye to the young man. Feliciano gazed longingly past them, past the open doorway into the long corridor right at the very end where the large secure door to prison block D taunted him in the distance. He took one last look at his familiar surroundings before Arthur took him through the exit and slowly closed the door behind them.

**~0~**

"Mr Vargas...on behalf of the entire court, the jury and the prison I would just like to say how deeply, deeply sorry we are for your false imprisonment-"

"Sorry!?" Romano snarled, pushing his way past his brother to glare up at the incredibly uneasy looking parole officer. "That's all you've got to say is sorry!? You put me and my partner through hell worrying about him! Not to mention all that my brother has suffered in this hell hole, he was stabbed for fuck sake! Stabbed because he was in here, and he was in here because you wouldn't believe he was innocent when we TOLD YOU HE WAS!"

"Lovi..." Antonio muttered awkwardly as everyone in the quiet reception had turned to stare open mouthed at the raging Italian.

The balding man swallowed slightly, running a hand across the back of his neck. "I admit that our justice system does not always convict correctly, but what matters now is that we know the truth and your brother is a free man."

"About time and all!" Romano growled, reaching behind him to grab Feliciano's hand. "Come on let's get you home before these bastards decide to wrongly convict you for something else." he tugged his brother around towards the main exit, not even registering Feliciano's slight resistance at being dragged away. Just as they reached the doorway Romano spun around to address the parole officer once more. "Oh yeah and you'll be hearing from my lawyer! You won't get away with this, we're going to sue you for everything you've got!"

"Come on Lovi." Antonio told him more sternly this time, hurriedly ushering Feliciano and Romano out of the main door into the cold, bright day outside.

Feliciano couldn't ever had imagined his release being anything so depressing as it was. To step outside for the first time with no bars to encase him, no towering walls or tangles of barbed wire glinting threateningly in the sun. It all past him by in a blur. Even his brother and Antonio's ecstatic greeting to see him emerging into the reception in his street clothes for the first time did nothing to heighten his spirits. The journey home was relatively quiet, aside from Romano's furious mutterings about getting compensation for all the emotional turmoil they'd been forced to suffer through. Antonio had chipped in occasionally but otherwise stayed silent, casting the odd anxious glance at Feliciano in the rear view mirror of the car; the young man had barely said two words since the moment they'd seen him.

The Italian couldn't even muster any enthusiasm at seeing his beloved cafe once more. Pulling up beside Vargas' Place was something he'd been dreaming about for a long time, but even the sight of the bright red, cute little Italian cafe did nothing to soothe his aching heart. Feliciano hardly even realised he had climbed out of the car and gone in through the back door, up the narrow staircase that stood beside the creeping ivy that grew up the crumbling wall into their apartment upstairs on the second floor. The moment they were inside Antonio set about pouring champagne for them all but Feliciano wanted nothing more than to be alone. Romano was on the phone to someone the second they stepped inside, stood in the living room pacing up and down whilst he talked furiously.

Feliciano couldn't bring himself to tell them that all he wanted to do was to go to bed, they had been so happy to see him and so determined to be with him at this present moment in time that he didn't want to disappoint them. It seemed incredible to think that he'd once dreamed of the glorious day he'd return here and proceed to celebrate by gorging on pastries and pasta to his heart's content...

The Italian sat slumped on a stool at the kitchen table with an untouched glass of champagne whilst Antonio told him cheerily about what they'd been up to whilst he was inside, catching him up on the latest news stories and such. After a while Feliciano's responses became less and less until he was merely nodding and shrugging to whatever it was Antonio was prattling on about. Eventually it seemed the Spaniard had caught on to this, which was unusual, the Italian wasn't expecting the usually dazed and confused man to pick up on his emotions.

"...Feliciano what's wrong?" Antonio asked, leaning across the table towards him with a concerned expression. "We thought you'd be happier about being back home."

Feliciano took a few moments to respond, unable to find his voice. "I am Antonio, really..." he croaked hoarsely after a while.

Antonio didn't seem convinced. "You don't seem it...are you sure you're okay?" he glanced into the living room over the top of the kitchen counter behind him, Romano was clearly distracted and the Spaniard stared searchingly into Feliciano, as if willing him to confess. But Feliciano wouldn't cooperate, and just nodded. Antonio frowned but didn't press it further. "Alright...well maybe you just need to get some sleep, you'll feel better after a good long rest." he said finally.

Feliciano was relieved to hear this and leant forwards with the intention of climbing down from his stool. He faltered uneasily however at the sight of the two bedrooms behind him, bathed in darkness that the small light from the kitchen and tiny windows could not reach. The idea of lying alone in his cold, dark room with nothing but his thoughts was more than he could bear, even more so than sat in other's company. With hesitation the Italian settled himself back on the stool, gazing down onto the table with his hand drumming anxiously beside him. "...Antonio."

The Spaniard looked up from his champagne. "...hm?"

Feliciano bit his lip, wondering how on earth he could bring it up. "...have...have you ever given something up for someone you love?" he said finally, meeting the surprised and confused green eyes that met his.

Antonio, befuddled by the question, merely smiled and nodded. "Of course, do you not remember the sacrifice I made for your brother?" he said almost fondly as he glanced over his shoulder at the angry young man striding about the living room.

Feliciano looked confused, he could only vaguely recall. "Something about...your job?"

"My dream job." Antonio corrected him with a sign. "I used to be a pilot remember? For a private company I ran with a few friends of mine, delivering over seas you know..." he said softly, taking a sip of bubbling wine. "But when Lovino wanted us to move in together he didn't like how often I was gone, he got really upset and lonely sometimes because I'd be flying for days at a time...so he asked me to give it up." he drained his glass. "It was pretty distressing to give up what I loved doing, but I loved your brother more...and if it meant we could be together properly, then I was happy to do so."

Feliciano nodded, he could remember clearly now. "Then we opened the cafe." he carried on for him.

"Sí, after your parents passed away...he wanted to be closer to both you and me." Antonio said softly, smiling across at the young man. "Why are you asking?"

Feliciano bit his lip, his heart squeezing rather nervously, he lowered himself down further onto the table. "Antonio I...something happened whilst I was in prison." he murmured quietly, his voice barely recognisable.

Antonio's eyes widened slightly. "...what?"

"I...I mean I..." Feliciano struggled to get it out, he took a deep breath and sighed. "...I fell in love."

"You fucking what?"

Both of them looked up sharply to see Romano stood by the refrigerator, the phone in one hand where the quiet dial tone could be heard ringing from it. Feliciano winced, his brother was the last person he was expecting to understand. Antonio held up a defensive hand towards his partner. "Now Lovi don't kick off okay? It's fine."

"You fell in love?" Romano repeated almost in disgust as he stepped closer to his brother. A sudden realisation filled his face and he sighed. "Let me guess, that pansy British guy, right?"

Feliciano shook his head. "No my...my cell mate." he whispered quietly yet the statement managed to almost echo around the tiny room.

"What!?" his brother sounded more aggravated with every passing moment. "You mean the violent one?" he demanded, recalling Feliciano's previous words from their first and only visit to him inside the prison.

"Lovi..." Antonio was on his feet now, holding up his hands calmingly. "It's okay, this is Feliciano's choice, we don't know anything about this man let's not jump to any conclusions."

"He's a criminal!" Romano growled at his partner, slamming the phone down on the table in front of his brother who jumped in shock. "What exactly is this guy in for?"

Feliciano swallowed heavily, nothing could have sounded worse than the truth. "...murder." he squeaked.

"MURDER!?" Romano bellowed furiously, reeling backwards in horror. "What the HELL Feliciano!?"

"Lovi it's okay-"

"No it is NOT okay Antonio!" Romano snarled, pushing the Spaniard away as he tried to grab onto him. "My little brother is in love with a KILLER!"

"Lovino it's not like that!" Feliciano cried, his poor eyes filling to the brim once again.

"Oh right cause I don't know him right?" Romano spat, glaring at the young man. "Seriously Feliciano it's bad enough to fall for a criminal but a murderer!?" he exclaimed incredulously. He took a second to calm himself, leaning down over the table to meet his eyes. "Feliciano listen to me, you are to have absolutely nothing to do with this man do you understand me?" he said slowly, his voice trembling slightly.

Before he could stop himself Feliciano had snapped at his brother. "Lovino I love him!"

"MOVE ON FELICIANO!" Romano yelled furiously, his calmness had evaporated in a second. "It's NOT going to happen! Just forget him!"

Feliciano burst into a fresh wave of tears, he jumped to his feet and bolted from the room into one of the doors in the dark corridor, slamming it shut behind him. Antonio sighed, resting his head in his hands as he and his partner stood silently in the kitchen, listening to Feliciano's muffled sobs from inside his bedroom. "Well done Lovino."

Romano spun around to glare at him. "Don't you start! He's an idiot! Fallen for a murderer!"

"Well so what? Love is love Lovi."

"No it's not! Doesn't he realise how manipulative murderers are!? He's obviously tricked him and is trying to use him!" Romano implored desperately.

But Antonio shook his head. "Not every murderer is psychotic Lovi." he ignored the Italian's scoff. "We don't know the man, we don't know what happened...look let me talk to him okay?" he said softly as he moved towards the bedrooms.

"He's insane." Romano growled, grabbing the half empty champagne bottle from the table he shoved it back into the refrigerator.

Antonio knocked softly on Feliciano's bedroom door before tentatively entering. "Feliciano?"

The Italian lay sobbing on his soft yet cold and unwelcoming bed in the corner of his dark room, he slowly sat up when he heard Antonio enter, desperately scrubbing at his eyes on the back of his hand. "I-I love him Antonio..." he sniffed loudly. "I-I know it's hard to...to understand but-"

"I understand." Antonio murmured gently as he stepped silently into the room. "I mean...I understand love, and if you're in love with someone Feliciano, then I support that." the Spaniard said kindly, slowly sinking onto the edge of the young man's bed.

Feliciano gazed at his for a moment, his breathing heavy. "...really?"

Antonio nodded. "Really...you know what your brother's like Feliciano." he said soothingly, patting his shoulder. "He hates anything even the slightest bit out of the ordinary. I'd have been more confused if he'd accepted your love for this man."

"He's not heartless." Feliciano mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "He loves me Antonio, I know it, he's told me and he's shown me...and I don't care about my future, I just want to be with him." he gazed desperately into Antonio's eyes, letting him see how unbelievably serious he was being.

The Spaniard smiled down at him sadly. "I understand Feli...but if this man committed murder then...well, what are the chances of him getting out of prison to be with you?"

"...very little." Feliciano murmured coldly. "But I don't care, this is my life and my choice."

Antonio nodded a little unsurely. "Alright then, I won't push it...and I'll try to get Lovino to come around."

Feliciano smiled. "Grazie Antonio."

"No worries." the Spaniard got slowly to his feet. "Hey, you know I marked all the visiting days of the prison on our calendar for the whole year so you can go and visit him every month if you like."

Feliciano's face lit up, he'd completely forgotten about that possibility. "I will! Every month, whenever I can! When's the next one?" he asked.

"Not until next month." Antonio said apologetically and Feliciano's face fell. "Today was the scheduled day for this month."

"Oh..." Feliciano's heart fell as quickly as it had risen. "I guess I'll have to wait then..."

"Time will fly past, you'll see." Antonio said certainly giving him a slight smile. The man turned to stride away, faltering as he reached the doorway. "Feliciano..." he glanced back at the young man sat on the bed, his eyes narrowing almost suspiciously. "...what you said before, about giving up something for someone you love?" Antonio questioned, raising an eyebrow as Feliciano's gaze darted away from his own.

"Feliciano..." Antonio stepped again into the room, staring down at the Italian sternly. "...you have to promise me that you're not ever, ever going to do anything dangerous, stupid or...or crazy for him...no matter how you might be feeling." Feliciano was silent, only looking up when the Spaniard physically grabbed hold of his shoulders and shook his slightly. "Promise me Feliciano!" he said almost hysterically.

The Italian nodded rapidly. "S-Sì, I promise Antonio...I won't do anything." he muttered hollowly.

Antonio's chest fell with a breath of relief. "Alright then...I guess I'll leave you to get some rest."

Antonio left quietly, snapping the door shut behind him. Feliciano couldn't have slept even if he tried, for the second Antonio was out of the door Romano had started another argument, no doubt about him, but Feliciano crawled under the covers of his bed fully dressed and tried to block out the noise. It was only mid-afternoon, Ludwig would be in his cell right now, their cell, all alone...Feliciano burrowed his head beneath his pillow, he was so sick of crying now. He may have been out of prison, but at that moment in time he'd never felt more like he was trapped.

* * *

**I have no excuse for the lateness of this other than I've been really busy later, I apologise**

**So here's an extra Christmas present for you all :) Merry Christmas! **

**Reviews are love :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Ludwig had to resist the urge to shout out when the loud screech of the block D cell doors sliding open across the concrete floor wracked through his skull and awoke him from his restless sleep. As if he hadn't struggled and battled enough for hours on end to get to sleep in the first place without being awoken so obnoxiously at such an ungodly hour after less than fifteen minutes of sleep. The German grit his teeth as he swore and hissed into his pillow but it died down as quickly as it had arisen. He was far too dismal and depressed to sustain any anger at his predicament at the moment; if he was perfectly honest with himself, Ludwig couldn't even remember what happiness felt like.

This only made his scenario that much more unbearable to endure. The fact that Ludwig could not regenerate those feelings that had engulfed him just one month ago when his true love had been crying in his arms, kissing him and holding him, telling him over and over again how much he loved him. It was happiest he could ever remember being, in those few minutes before Arthur's news had brought a storm cloud over their hearts he had been the luckiest man alive. Ludwig knew he didn't deserve love, and in no way did he deserve it from a man like Feliciano...but somehow he'd done it, against all odds and his own judgement he had captured the man's love, and he knew he would never be able to feel that way again.

But the most devastating realisation was the startling familiarity it all was to how he was feeling five years ago when he had first arrived at the prison. The excruciating pain in his chest and his inability to move, without it being an absolute necessity to staying alive that is, was miraculously similar to the pain he had felt for almost an entire year after Gilbert's death...until he'd managed to transfer his deep sadness and depression into raging anger and a hostile attitude to all those around him of course.

Thinking back on that bleak time Ludwig was dumbfounded as to how he'd been able to get over his brother's death when it hurt so unbelievably much. He knew he was making himself vulnerable inside; twice since Feliciano had left he'd been ambushed in the prison and had struggled to defend himself. The other inmates could sense it, his weakness; he was becoming an easy target. Ludwig's fragile heart was turning him back into that scared young man he had been five years ago, tearful and afraid, quiet and meek...only now he wasn't determined, he didn't care what happened to him, he'd lost all persistence to fight back.

His cell hadn't since been occupied by a new inhabitant. It wasn't like before when the prison were wary of permitting a new one to his cell due to Ludwig's insistent hatred of company and inflicting harm on those who had, in the past, attempted to bunk with him. Now it seemed that they were keeping him alone out of sympathy, or perhaps even pity, at the loss of his Feliciano. In a way Ludwig resented this, but knew deep down that he was thankful for the solitude they'd left him in. Even Arthur had been keeping his distance, but then again what was he to say to the man? For the past month they'd maybe spoken a few words to each other and neither seemed willing to try and rebuild their friendship after what had happened.

The only man Ludwig could think of possibly bringing himself out of his desolation for in order to harm was Johan. Even though he felt incapable of anger with this deep sadness immersing him he was sure he could manage it for that son of a bitch. But rumours were that Johan had been transferred to another prison for his own protection, or possibly a mental institution for trying to slaughter Feliciano, and the German had not laid eyes on him since he'd beaten him to a pulp in the storage room. Ludwig was sure that had he been his normal self he would have been outraged that he wasn't able to give the man another taste of his own medicine; these were different circumstances however, and he was depressed and unable to do much else but cry silently into his pillow as he thought about Feliciano, safe and sound on the outside, unable to be with him.

The German heard the familiar sound of a key in a lock and his own cell door sliding open but he didn't move from his bunk. Recently he'd taken to just staying in his cell for days at a time and not eating or going out into the courtyard; he was certain if it hadn't been Arthur who was in charge of his block he'd have been punished for this behaviour already. However that morning Arthur had actually stepped into the cell and was speaking to him, he sounded cheery and upbeat, he hadn't heard the man sound this way for weeks.

"Come on Ludwig, time to get up." Arthur sang at him as he tapped on the metal frame of Ludwig's bunk bed to make him rise.

The German grudgingly heaved himself up onto his elbows, staring down at the Brit. "...why? What's the point?" he muttered coldly.

Arthur smiled at him, a certain glint in his green eyes. "You know what today is don't you?"

"...the day I hang myself?" Ludwig replied dryly, slumping back onto the bunk.

Arthur seemed a little put off by the response but carried on just as jauntily. "No, it's the visiting day for our block." he told him, the man was practically beaming, as if withdrawing information he badly wanted to reveal.

Ludwig was hardly even paying attention however. "...oh, woopie." he barely even spoke out loud, his eyes drooping closed.

Arthur sighed with a roll of the eyes. "Ludwig take the hint would you? I'm only telling you this because you've got a visitor."

Ludwig's tired eyes burst open as if he'd been suddenly rejuvenated and he shot bolt up right on the bed. "What? Who?" he demanded.

"Who the bloody hell do you think?" Arthur said with a slight smirk, stepping back as Ludwig suddenly jumped down from his bunk and tried to race out of the cell into the corridor.

"Feliciano's here?" Ludwig blurted out, immediately elated as he stared around hopefully as if the young man was going to be standing just outside, waiting for him.

Having never had a visitor before Arthur understood his confusion and it almost saddened him slightly. "He'll be here soon, I'm taking all those with visitors upstairs after breakfast, that's how it works." he told him as they began following the rest of the inmates filing out of their cells down to the cafeteria.

Ludwig wanted to protest that he couldn't possibly managed to eat anything after hearing that Feliciano was here to see him. His heavy heart had lifted and his empty stomach was now churning anxiously. With this newfound revere he was able to bark irritably at the occupants inhabiting his table so that they scattered; the German then spent his breakfast time checking his reflection in the back of a spoon and cursing himself silently for not having washed his hair the day before. He had a several bruises blossoming on his face from a scuffle the other day and knew these only hampered his appearance even more.

The minutes dragged on forever and by the time the rest of the inmates had all begun to file away out into the courtyard Arthur was addressing the block D inmates from the front of the cafeteria, reading from a list those who would be receiving visits today. Ludwig could hear the murmurs and feel the looks of confusion and shock around him when the Brit read out his name and handed him a piece of card with a number on it. For the first time in his life at the prison he was taken upstairs to the visiting room, he actually had somebody on the outside who cared enough to come and see him.

Now sat at one of the small tables with a matching number to his card in the middle of the large room the German waited with bated breath for the doors at the other end of the room to be opened. Around him other inmates were also waiting, still occasionally shooting him incredulous looks yet none of them seemed to be nearly as nervous or anxious as Ludwig was. When the doors were finally opened by Alfred who was on the other side of the room Ludwig's breath caught in his throat; he couldn't shake the dreaded feeling that there might be a mistake, that someone might be playing a trick on him or that perhaps Feliciano had changed his mind...

Groups of people began surging into the room, wives and children, friends and other relatives who all immediately rushed to their inmates the moment they set eyes upon them. Soon the quiet room was full of the noises of loud greetings and excited chatter, some tearful crying and the scraping of chairs as everyone took their seats around the tables. Ludwig's anxiety increased further as the stream of visitors thinned until just one or two people were emerging through the door every few moments. He glanced around unsurely towards Arthur stood watch at the other end of the room but the Brit merely smiled at him and nodded back in the other direction. The German turned back to where Alfred was still holding open the door to visitors and his heart was lifted right from his chest to see the beaming face of Feliciano.

Ludwig didn't even register the fact that the Italian was accompanied by two other people he hadn't seen before. He leapt to his feet just in time to catch the young man as Feliciano threw himself into his arms. The German almost toppled over his chair behind him but he clung to Feliciano as if his very life depended on it, he let out a sigh of content that almost came out as a groan, burrowing his face into the Italian's neck. Feliciano was murmuring nonsensically into his ear as he nuzzled into the German, his hands clamped so tightly around his neck he felt he might snap him in two at any moment. When the Italian pulled back Ludwig could see large tears building in his eyes and the man leant down for a deep kiss before any of them could spill down his face.

"...I missed you." Ludwig mumbled against the man's lips as they kissed heatedly in the middle of the crowded room, not caring for any stares or mutters that might be coming their way.

"I missed you too...you have no idea Luddi..." Feliciano groaned softly as he cupped the back of the man's neck, pulling him down deeper into the kiss.

"Oh for fuck sake would you please stop trying to eat each other?" a loud voice snapped rudely from behind them.

Against his will Ludwig reluctantly pulled back from the kiss and was rather startled to see a man who looked strikingly familiar to Feliciano standing with his arms folded across his chest, he was glaring at the two of them. A taller and kinder looking man with a soft smile was beside him, with rather ruffled curls and a slightly anxious look in his eyes.

Feliciano took a slight step back, holding out his hand towards the pair. "Ludwig this is my big brother Lovino," he pointed out the angry looking clone. "and his boyfriend Antonio...you two this is Ludwig." his voice had a certain dreamy air to it as he spoke the German's name, it caused his brother to scowl in disgust.

Antonio, however, held out his hand politely to shake the blonds' before the four of them were seated around the table; Feliciano shifted his chair right beside Ludwig's, curling up into his arms. The German gazed down at him, his eyes full of adoration, and he couldn't resist kissing him again even as the man sat across from them hissed angrily. Ludwig had never seen Feliciano in normal clothes, he had on a black shirt with a blue tie and was wearing casual jeans...the Italian had never looked so beautiful before; the German almost felt ashamed of himself.

When they pulled apart once more they both had matching idiotic grins on their faces as they gazed at one another. Still wrapped up firmly in Ludwig's strong arms Feliciano glanced across the table as Antonio slightly awkwardly cleared his throat.

"So um...you were Feliciano's cell mate?" he said in an attempt at a casual manner, he was rather aware of the man silently fuming beside him, his dark eyes fixed steadily upon his brother's German lover. "We've heard a lot about you."

"Sì he wouldn't shut the fuck up about you for a month, personally I don't see what all the fuss was about." Romano growled suddenly, sending an uncomfortable silence across the table.

Feliciano squeezed Ludwig's hand reassuringly as he saw the German frown slightly. "...you're all I could think about." he murmured softly. "Did you think about me?"

Ludwig's smile graced his face again, he leant down to kiss the top of his head. "You have no idea..."

"For God sake." Romano spat irritably, and it was only Antonio's hand on his knee that stopped him from kicking the table.

Antonio shifted uncomfortably, still attempting to smile in a friendly way. "Come on Lovi..." he said gently with what was supposed to be a warning look but which shrivelled under his partner's dark glare.

"I heard a lot about you two as well." Ludwig said quietly after a few moments of silence.

Feliciano's brother simply responded with a cold stare, Antonio smiled but caught sight of Feliciano's look of slight desperation and understood. The Spaniard glanced around the crowded room for a moment before he got to his feet. "Hey Lovi, didn't you want to speak to the parole officer while we were here about getting compensation?" he asked, pointing towards the door they'd just come in through where the American prison guard was stood watch.

"Sì!" Romano agreed, suddenly rather revered as he too jumped up. "Did you see him?"

"Oh sí, he just walked past the door." Antonio lied, but before Romano could stop to register the awkwardness of his tone he'd already stalked off towards the exit and the Spaniard just had time to give Feliciano a smile before he followed hurriedly after.

Feliciano breathed a sigh of relief, snuggling up into Ludwig's chest. "...sorry, Lovino wouldn't let me come on my own." he said softly.

"It's okay, you're brother is very...interesting." Ludwig muttered, shaking his head in bewilderment; it seemed amazing that two brothers so strikingly alike could be so unbelievably different.

Feliciano smiled slightly. "He's just protective..."

"Ja...Gott I missed you Feli." Ludwig suddenly pulled him close again, hitching the young man up onto his chest as their lips met once more.

Feliciano let out a soft groan of approval, knotting his fingers into the man's hair as they kissed deeply. He couldn't describe in words how good it felt to be with Ludwig again, to hold him and kiss him and just be in his presence. When he could finally bring himself to break apart from the man he took in the full appearance of his face, and was suddenly panicked to see a smooth purple bruising beneath the man's left eye.

"Luddi, what happened to your face?" Feliciano asked concernedly, gently brushing back the stray blond hairs hanging forwards in the man's eyes to get a better look; there were several bruises of varying shades of purple decorating the man's pale face, his initial excitement at seeing his love had blinded him from these startling details.

"It's nothing." Ludwig muttered, removing Feliciano's hands from his face. "Just a bit of a spat the other day." he kissed the top of the young man's knuckles.

Feliciano bit his lip. "With who? Was it Johan or Blake or someone?" he whispered, surveying the room quickly.

Ludwig shook his head. "Nein Johan is no longer here und Blake won't so much as look at me let alone try anything...nein, I guess everyone is just taking advantage of the state I'm in." he said quietly with a shrug.

"...what state?"

"...just the general...heart torn apart from missing you, state." Ludwig murmured, feeling no embarrassment in admitting this to the man.

Feliciano's eyes softened and his burrowed into the German's chest. "Luddi..." he whined softly shaking his head. "I don't want you getting hurt in here..."

"I'm not too fond of it either if I'm honest."

Feliciano frowned, gazing up at him. "You need to stay strong in here Luddi, however long it takes."

Ludwig gazed at him for a few moments before he sighed. "...Feli, we need to talk about that." he said gently, lifting the younger man up slightly so to properly face him.

Feliciano just smiled. "...about what?" he asked sweetly, tracing a finger delicately beneath the German's bruised eye.

Ludwig shivered slightly. "About us."

Feliciano's finger halted. "...do you want to break up?" he murmured, his eyes suddenly bright.

N-Nein...it's just, Feli look," Ludwig gently took Feliciano's hand away from his face, squeezing it gently in his own. "Feliciano you are an amazing person, you're so beautiful und perfect und..." the German swallowed slightly, shaking his head. "Feli what are you even doing with a guy like me?"

"Ludwig don't talk like that." Feliciano said firmly, almost glaring at the man. "You know I don't like it, we've been through this...I love you and I want you, why can't you believe that?"

"It's not that I don't believe it Feli." Ludwig muttered, glancing away from the Italian's stern look. "I'm just being realistic."

"So am I."

"Feliciano listen to me," Ludwig's own voice took on a firmer tone now, taking a tight grasp on the younger's hands. "I know that right now it seems that this is what you want, but," he placed a finger over Feliciano's lips when he tried to open his mouth to protest. "I'm talking about years from now, whilst I'm still in here und you're on the outside...what if one day a nice, good looking young man comes into your cafe und tries to ask you on a date? What are you going to do, turn him down because you've already got a boyfriend who's in prison?" he asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what I'll do." Feliciano said with a smile, kissing the tip of the German's finger. "I've told you, it's my future and my choice...and I'm choosing to stay with you."

"...Feli you must be insane." Ludwig murmured but he couldn't help the smile of relief that tugged at his lips.

Feliciano leant in for a soft kiss. "If it's insane to stay with the person you love regardless of circumstances then yes, I am." he whispered as their noses brushed gently together. "...you'll be out of here one day, Antonio's been helping me look up some stuff and we think we could maybe get you released in a few years."

Ludwig smiled at the man's naivety, he gave him a soft peck on the lips before he sat up. "Don't get your hopes up, I've tried to get myself up for parole about nine times over the last five years...I'm always rejected." he muttered.

"You didn't tell me that." Feliciano said in slight shock.

Ludwig shrugged, "Well it didn't work so it didn't seem to matter...I mean I understand why, the public would be in uproar to hear that a murderer had been released from prison after only five years." he told him sadly.

"But this time you've got help, we'll keep trying and eventually they'll release you." Feliciano informed him certainly, giving his hands a firm squeeze.

Ludwig smiled softly at the Italian's enthusiasm. "Well I'll wish you luck...but Feliciano if you ever find that you get sick of this, und you want to go back to having a normal life then," he ignored Feliciano's rapid shake of the head. "I'll understand completely."

Feliciano smiled. "Okay, but I promise you I won't...I love you Ludwig."

"I love you too Feliciano." Ludwig said softly with a grin.

Antonio was clearly keeping Romano occupied as long as he possibly could, the two of them did not return to the visiting room the entire half an hour that Feliciano had with Ludwig, something for which he was incredibly grateful. The lovers spent the short amount of time they had together wrapped in one another's embrace, speaking sweet words into each other's ears and paying no attention to anyone else around them, trying to savour every second they had together. An announcement on the tany system sounded briefly throughout the room to tell them their time was up, slowly the inmates started getting to their feet and trudging back towards where Arthur was holding the door open to let them back into the prison. Ludwig was the last to leave, ignoring the Brit's polite requests that he needed to hurry as he gave Feliciano one long last wondrous kiss before he too followed the crowd of block D inmates filing out of the visiting room.

Feliciano stood waving long after he'd gone, then when he could be certain that Ludwig had completely vanished he turned to the British prison guard who was watching him. "Hi Arthur, it's good to see you."

Arthur smiled, giving him a brief hug. "You too Feliciano, how have you been?" he asked kindly.

"Okay I guess...just finding it hard to adjust on the outside without Ludwig." Feliciano admitted truthfully, shrugging slightly.

Arthur looked at him sadly. "I think Ludwig is feeling the same." he said softly. "The poor guys been so miserable without you."

"Sì...he looks terrible, why is everyone picking on him all of a sudden?"

"Well...he looks pretty vulnerable at the moment." Arthur muttered, "...and the guys in here have realised it, I mean he was never particularly popular in here, and I suppose the inmates are happy for the chance to hurt him."

Feliciano grit his teeth. "I hate it...why can't they just leave him alone like they used to?"

Arthur shrugged. "I wish they would."

"You'll look after him though right?" Feliciano asked suddenly.

"Yes of course, I mean I'll do my best." Arthur said, slightly uncomfortable.

Feliciano hesitated slightly, glancing back behind him to check the room was truly empty before turning to the Brit again. "Arthur, what are the chances of getting Ludwig out of here?"

The Brit frowned slightly, sighing. "Not likely at all I'm afraid." he said quietly. "He can appeal for release as often as he likes but they'll never accept it..."

"But can't you do something?" Feliciano implored, suddenly quite desperate.

"No there's nothing-"

"Arthur you know he's innocent!" Feliciano blurted out loudly, his eyes bright with tears; Arthur looked at him sceptically for a moment and the Italian bit his lip. "Okay he's not exactly innocent but you know he doesn't belong in here!"

Arthur sighed, "I know Feliciano, I know but...well there's nothing I can do about it is there? I have no power to release prisoners or even sway the decision of the parole officer." he said sadly.

Feliciano nodded slowly, hurriedly wiping his eyes. "...I understand, but I'm still going to try anyway, I have to do something to get him out of here before...before..." he swallowed slowly.

Arthur gave him a sad smile, gently patting his shoulder. "Well good luck, if there's anything I can do I'll be happy to help...I take it I'll be seeing you next month?" the Italian nodded certainly. "Well until then, take care Feliciano." he gave the man's hand a shake before he too disappeared back into the prison, closing and locking the door behind him. The Italian sighed, dabbing at his eyes as he slowly turned and slinked off to the other side of the room, moving in and out of the tables and chairs to the open doorway to go and search for Antonio and Romano. He knew that neither of them had been successful trying to get him released when he was here, but that wouldn't discourage him, Feliciano would come to visit Ludwig as often as he possibly could, and in the mean time he was determined to get Ludwig released, whether he had to appeal to the parole officer every day or even take his protests to the streets he would work solidly to get his love out of prison, no matter how long it would take...

**~0~**

"...no." Feliciano whispered shakily, tears rapidly filling his eyes.

Romano sighed irritably. "Right that's settled, now can you please come and help me clear up downstairs?"

"Lovi..." Antonio murmured gently, his eyes softening sympathetically.

Feliciano stared in horror at the letter in his hands, it was identical to the ones he had received several times over the last year, the last incredibly long year. True to his word the young man had tried everything possible to appeal to the parole officer for Ludwig's release from prison, he'd sat down at the kitchen table, his hands shaking as he opened what had to be the sixth letter about the decision of Ludwig's fate. It was the same response every time. Ludwig's appeal for release had been rejected once again.

Feliciano sniffed heavily, burrowing his head into his hands. "...n-not again, it's not fair..." he stammered, shaking his head furiously.

Romano just rolled his eyes and stalked off to the backdoor, he'd learnt to give up appealing for his brother's help in the cafe whenever he went on one of his emotional rants about his German inmate. Antonio made to go after him but hesitated in the kitchen doorway, gazing down sadly at Feliciano. The Italian was sobbing quietly into his hands, the scrunched up letter of rejection lying abandoned on the table beneath his face. The small window above the sink behind the man was steadily darkening as evening fell, casting a deep gloom about the apartment to match Feliciano's mood. Antonio sighed, abandoning his pursuit he shifted himself onto a stool beside the Italian.

"Feliciano what's wrong? You weren't this worked up the last time they said no...I'd have thought you'd be used to it by now." he added quietly, placing a gentle hand on the man's back.

Feliciano slowly sat up, wiping his eyes continuously as tears tumbled down his face like a tap. "I-I know it's just that, I really thought he'd get off this time Antonio...I just had a feeling you know? And-And after what happened today..." he blubbered, his breath hitching in his throat.

Antonio sighed again, rubbing his back up and down. "Feli you can't keep getting your hopes up like this..." he muttered softly.

Feliciano gave a shuddering sigh, scrubbing hard at his eyes until his vision was no longer obscured. He gazed across at the older man, who had that unbelievably familiar look of sympathy and perhaps just the slightest bit of pity crossing his face. Whilst the Spaniard looked almost indistinguishable from what he had looked like just one year previously, with the exception of his hair that was trimmed just that little bit shorter; the time had taken its toll on Feliciano. The Italian's eyes had become crinkled and darkened, his face was unmistakeably paler and he had somehow managed to lose what little weight he had.

The stress and worry and heart breaking rejections of attempting to reduce Ludwig's sentence and free him from prison were having a profound effect on the young man. He was unable to enjoy what he once did, his beloved cafe that he'd poured his heart and soul into opening was now Romano and Antonio's priority, Feliciano had no time for it now. True to Ludwig's prediction the young man had been approached by many potential suitors over the last year and his brother had begged him beyond all belief to accept their offers for dates, but the Italian always refused with the same reason each and every time.

There were times when it was getting so difficult for the young man that he'd almost felt regret at rejecting the last man who had shyly asked him if he'd like to go and get coffee with him sometime. Then Feliciano would be flooded with guilt at these thoughts and burst into tears in Ludwig's arms the next time he went to visit him in prison. The German seemed incredibly unnerved, he was still relentless that Feliciano should accept an offer from another man, and the Italian could tell that Ludwig was struggling with his own guilty conscience to see the man weeping about how difficult he was finding their relationship. Initially Feliciano had thought that once a month visits would suffice but they just weren't enough, they weren't even able to be alone during their visits. Even though Romano and Antonio no longer joined him they were still always surrounded by other inmates in a noisy room for what was nowhere near long enough. Ludwig looked worse every time Feliciano saw him, often bruised and once he was even bleeding after refusing to go and see Elizaveta after an incident over breakfast in the prison, just in case he missed Feliciano's visit.

Feliciano sat drinking the cup of tea Antonio had just made him whilst the Spaniard slid off to the living room to switch on the news. Romano flitted in and out of the room from downstairs carrying boxes and when Antonio made to go and help him downstairs something on the television caught his eye and stopped him in his tracks. Feliciano sighed, threading his fingers into his hair as he gazed despondently down at the tear stained letter on the table.

'Maybe I should just give up, try again in a few years.' Feliciano thought miserably.

"A riot and subsequent shootout between guards and prisoners at the medium-security prison left at least four inmates dead and fourteen wounded, authorities said."

Feliciano massaged his temples. 'I mean they won't let him out until he's served at least a decade...'

"No staff were injured during the riot and guards have confirmed that one of the inmates did in fact break free and flee from the prison."

'But I don't know whether I'll be able to cope that long...'

"He is said to be extremely dangerous and violent and the public is to be vigilant at this time."

"Um, Feliciano, you better come and take a look at this." Antonio's rather high pitched, panicked voice carried through to the kitchen and Feliciano looked up curiously.

"...what is it?" Feliciano asked vaguely as floated into the living room, he stood waiting for the Spaniard to say something but the man was stood facing the small television set sat by the wall, his mouth gaping open slightly. The Italian's brows furrowed together in confusion and he glanced at the newsreader briefly on the screen. Before Feliciano could voice his confusion once more the words he'd been about to speak were lost at the sight of a familiar face on screen.

A photograph of Ludwig, no doubt his mug shot from when he was first arrested, was being displayed on screen beside the newsreader's head. It was a much younger Ludwig, frail and timid looking and Feliciano grabbed the remote from the side of the sofa and turned the volume on the television right up.

"He was last spotted over two hours ago and officials were unable to locate him inside the prison when the riot was declared over. The guards are uncertain how the inmate managed to escape but he is presumed to have done so in the confusion and mayhem of the riot which some are saying may have been a planned breakout. Charged with murder and serving a life sentence for his crime officials are currently searching for the man with the use of helicopters with heat seeking equipment, police have been told if he does not come quietly they are to shoot on sight and locals are being advised to stay in doors during night hours and not to approach him should they encounter him. If anyone has any information pertaining to his whereabouts they should contact officials immediately."

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**Yay for quicker updates :) hope you enjoy**

**Reviews are love :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

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Feliciano thought he felt Antonio's hand on his shoulder but he couldn't be sure. His entire body had gone completely numb, completely confounded, he wasn't sure if he was just having an incredibly lucid dream or if this was indeed reality. Ludwig, his beautiful Ludwig had escaped from the prison, he was on the run...and police had been ordered to shoot him if they saw him...

"Feliciano, are you okay?" Antonio murmured softly into the silence, giving his shoulder a firm shake.

Feliciano nodded numbly. "...hm." the Italian couldn't be sure whether he'd actually vocalised whatsoever. He couldn't think how he could possibly connect his brain to his lips in order to get them to move, or to produce any sound. The television was still blaring, shouting at him from the floor in front of them, it was just a muffled echo to Feliciano who swallowed heavily, his heart beating a slow, uneasily rhythm against his ribcage. On screen the newsreader had vanished and was replaced by another, more cheerful face who was telling the viewers about the storm of rain that would be hitting the town tonight. Antonio was squeezing down on his shoulder again, trying with great intensity to get the young man to speak; after a few solid minutes of staring blankly at the television screen Feliciano shifted himself away from his friend, slowly shaking his head.

"...I, I think I need to go to bed..." Feliciano managed to croak out softly as he began edging himself backwards towards the kitchen.

Antonio switched off the television before he cautiously followed the young man; the Italian had never thought he'd seen the Spaniard's look of sympathy ever so prominent on his face. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on Feliciano, his brows furrowed with deep concentration and concern as they moved slowly back through the kitchen and into the small corridor adjacent. Feliciano's back eventually met his bedroom door and he slipped inside hurriedly and shut the door before the Spaniard could follow him any further. After what he thought must of been a moment's hesitation, he heard the older man move, disappearing through the backdoor of their apartment and trekking quietly downstairs to join his partner in their cafe.

Once alone, Feliciano leant himself up against the closed door of his bedroom with his eyes wide open, his lips quivering ever so slightly. His room was dark and felt strangely cold around him; the heavy rain splattered his window outside behind him and the Italian thought he could hear the soft rumble of thunder in the distance. Feliciano's hands found his messy fringe and he clung tightly, twisting and curling his fingers into his hair to desperately distract himself from the infinitive number of dark and horrendous thoughts that were flashing across his mind.

Every scenario that revolved in his head involved Ludwig in some way. Ludwig lying face down on the side of the road after being knocked over by a police car...Ludwig lying in a pool of his own blood after being shot at by any number of armed police officers...Ludwig being attacked by a member of the public who recognised him from the news story and had gone berserk...each and every vision involved the German's gory end. There couldn't possibly be any chance of the man getting away unharmed; the police had been given permission to shoot and Feliciano knew that they wouldn't hesitate to do so. The Italian felt sick, his stomach hadn't been churning this badly since his early days in the prison. The young man suddenly pushed himself away from his door and began pacing frantically back and forth about his small bedroom, his hands still weaved into his hair.

What had Ludwig been thinking? What on earth had the man been thinking!? Escaping from prison! Was he really that idiotic? Did he not realise how unbelievably serious escaping from prison is? That they'd stop at nothing until they'd hunted him down!? Killed him!? Feliciano couldn't even comprehend his insane actions, he kept trying in vain hope to believe that there had been a mistake, that Ludwig had been in the prison the whole time and that the guards had just miscounted...but out of his bedroom window a small glow in the not too far off distance, a helicopter was shining a beam of light down onto the streets below as it flew through the sky, searching. The Italian let out a soft whimper and sunk onto his bed, head in hands and rocking slowly back and forth.

Feliciano was overcome with guilt. There was only one possible reason he could think of as to why Ludwig might do something so mind boggling dangerous...

Earlier that day the Italian had gone to see him for his monthly visit to the prison; unfortunately, due to the terrible weather, Feliciano had been incredibly late arriving at the prison and was only able to see Ludwig for about ten minutes. Now the German never usually let his emotions get the better of him, even though through the year it had been an intense struggle to live the way he was living, only able to see his love once a month and the rest of his time spent mainly in solitude. But that day, with such a brief amount of time spent together, Ludwig was completely beside himself, he quite literally had a break down there and then in the visiting room and Feliciano was unable to console him. Arthur had to escort him to Elizaveta when visiting time was over and Feliciano wasn't permitted to join him, although he waited until later to hear from the Brit what had happened and the Hungarian sent him her best wishes.

Ludwig was given something to calm him down but it clearly hadn't worked, or had finally worn off. Having Feliciano for such a short amount of time had become too much for him and he must have just gone completely insane. The Italian bit his lip, going rigid on his bed as he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Ludwig wasn't stupid. It was a stupid thing he'd done, yes, but the German himself wasn't idiotic. He was one of the most intelligent people Feliciano had ever met, and being as clever as he was, Feliciano knew there was absolutely no possibility of the man attempting to find him.

A bang from outside brought Feliciano back to himself, inhaling sharply and clutching the top of his legs. He relaxed only slightly when he realised it was merely the bins outside falling over, probably from the harsh winds that thrashed against the house. But a few moments later the Italian heard the backdoor downstairs open and someone yell into the night.

"Who's there? Show yourself you stupid bastard!"

Feliciano crept over to his window and peered down; his brother was below him on the doorstep, glaring out at his dark surroundings. The bins lay motionless on their sides on the pavement at the front of the house but there was no other movement outside aside from the hale of rain that lashed the ground. Romano grunted irritably and disappeared back inside, closing the door behind him and extinguishing the light that had spilled out over the dark side of their house from inside the cafe. Feliciano let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. For a moment he could have sworn his brother had seen something, or someone, outside their home.

The young man moved away from the window again, and no sooner had he done so did he hear a loud rustling sound outside, it sounded closer somehow, than the noise of the bins falling had been. Feliciano's chest surged with dread as he edged back to his window, peering gingerly out into the dark garden and hoping with all his might that he wasn't going to see what he feared the most.

With a startled yelp that he managed to suppress with a hand across his mouth; Feliciano stared, wide eyed and unblinking, at the figure that was desperately scaling the side of the small house, clutching handfuls of ivy and heavy himself up towards the young man's window. Not really thinking about his actions; Feliciano scrambled to unlock and open his window just as a the blond, sopping wet head of Ludwig appeared in front of him, he was panting breathily as he flung an arm onto the window ledge and clamped down onto it to stop himself falling. Feliciano had the sudden, strange urge to run away, back out of the door. But in the corner of his eye he saw the faint light of the search helicopter in the distance, and in a blind panic the Italian grabbed two fistfuls of Ludwig's saturated, orange jumpsuit and dragged him up into his bedroom. The German fell through the window onto a heap on the young man's carpet; Feliciano just had to time to snap the window closed and draw his curtains shut before a pair of icy cold hands found his hips and were winding themselves tightly around him.

"Feliciano..." Ludwig's voice was ragged and hoarse as if he'd just run a marathon, his body trembled uncontrollably and moisture dripped down his dirty face. The Italian's own slightly shaking hands cupped the man's chin and gently lifted his head from where he knelt in front of him; the German's eyes had deep, dark circles beneath them, his lip was cut and a deep bruise was blossoming beneath his left eye. Feliciano felt weak, his knees buckled and he fell to the floor into Ludwig's fragile form.

"...Ludwig." Feliciano gasped out the man's name, he thrust his fingers into the German's hair as he pulled their bodies close together, Ludwig's soaking wet and unbearably cold, Feliciano's warm and welcoming, and the older of the two burrowed himself into the Italian. Feliciano felt tears spring to his eyes and he held back a sob as he stroked Ludwig's hair. "What are you doing h-here!?" he demanded, almost aggravated even though he held the man tighter still, their bodies trembling together.

He didn't answer straight away. Ludwig seemed incapable of doing anything besides feeling Feliciano against him, his head was still burrowed into the young man's cosy chest whilst his frozen fingers clung to the fabric of his jumper. Eventually the German raised his head, his cold, yet somehow warming eyes found the frightened ones above him. "What do you think? I couldn't stand it another second Feliciano..." Ludwig's deep voice made Feliciano tremble even more so, his lips, rough from the harsh cold, grazed the Italian's neck and he shivered.

Feliciano let his eyes drift closed, his fingers tightening in the man's sodden locks. "Ludwig...this is crazy, you're crazy..." his words were softly murmured but lost in translation; neither of them seemed to care about the dire situation, about the search helicopter mere miles from their location, the countless police officers trying to hunt them or the two men downstairs who knew nothing of the German's presence in their home. The only thing that mattered, the only thing that had ever mattered to either of them was that they were together, present in each other's arms, the feel of each other pressed so close together that they were but one entity.

Ludwig eventually found the strength to drag the two of them to their feet, where he let his hands rest on Feliciano's flushed face. "I can hardly believe I'm here..." he muttered, yet clearly their location was the last thing of the German's mind, as he paid absolutely no attention to anything in the dark bedroom other than Feliciano himself.

"How did you even find me?" Feliciano asked quietly in amazement, circling his arms around Ludwig's slim waist, he couldn't help but notice that, like himself, the German had lost a significant amount of weight over the year.

Ludwig let his head rest heavily on top of the younger man's. "You've told me where this place is, I'm sure you have...I remembered the road name and I saw the sign..." he pressed his thumbs gently into Feliciano's face, stroking his soft skin.

Feliciano let out a soft sigh of content. "...you're lucky you weren't caught." he murmured, shivering under the German's touch.

"I wouldn't care even if I was..." Ludwig murmured, breathing deeply against Feliciano's head. "I love you Feliciano."

"I love you too Ludwig, so much." Feliciano told him, his voice strained as he tightened his arms as much as his small body would allow, wanting to feel the closeness of the man pressed against him despite the cold, wet feeling of his jumpsuit against his own warm clothes. The two of them stood embracing in the Italian's bedroom, their lips finally met and neither of them could suppress the deep, desperate, breathy moans that escaped them as they kissed. Rain continued to hammer against the window and occasionally a noise could be heard beneath their feet in the cafe downstairs, making them both start with a jolt of fear. Soon however, the grave reality of their situation hit home and with a tremendous amount of will power Feliciano managed to wrench himself away from Ludwig completely. The German looked like a small lost child as Feliciano stepped back from him, his arms groping in the air feebly with a look of deep confusion and hurt upon his bruised and bleeding face.

Feliciano had to look away from him to spare his own heart. "Ludwig you have to go." he said quite suddenly.

He had expected Ludwig to give him the perplexing, anguished look, but he hadn't anticipated how much it would hurt him to see it. "...what? Feli I..." Ludwig stammered uneasily, wringing his hands together in front of him.

Feliciano took hold of them, holding them gently in his own. "Ludwig they're searching for you right now, they'll shoot you if they see you! You have to run." the Italian insisted even though his voice wavered, he could hardly convince himself that this was what he wanted the man to do.

"I only got out of there to see you, I'm not going anywhere." Ludwig told him firmly with a shake of the head.

Feliciano looked at him sadly, using the corner of his sleeve to brush away the droplets of rain that showered down from his hair and clung to his face. "Ludwig you have to...they know about us." he whispered.

"...what?"

"They know Ludwig." Feliciano squeezed his hands, gazing up into those tired, blue orbs. "They know we're together, they've seen me visit you for a whole year...if they have any brains they'll know to come here looking for you."

Ludwig seemed a little hampered by this, his face contorted momentarily. "I see..."

"...Ludwig I love you, I don't want you to get hurt, or worse get...get..." Feliciano swallowed heavily, not able to finish, he hurriedly wiped away a tear that shed down his face.

Ludwig suddenly cupped the man's chin in his hand, pressing their lips together hotly. When he pulled away he stared directly into the man's eyes. "I'm staying until they do, when they show up here I'll surrender und go quietly, but I had to see you Feli, I just...I needed to see you, alone, away from everyone else..." his voice was so low it was almost a growl, he gently pressed his finger against the Italian's lips. "I'm sorry, I know this has probably ruined any chance I have of being officially released..."

Feliciano was torn. At these words the Italian actually felt a sudden surge of anger at the man; he knew perfectly well the implications of what he had done, what it would cost them...but when he met those deep eyes above him, so full of love and adoration and perhaps even just a little fear...the anger dissolved in an instant and he could only melt into the man's arms, shaking his head from side to side. "...you're so crazy Ludwig."

Ludwig smiled deeply, "Only about you."

Feliciano grinned, leaning in for kiss. "Ludwig..."

"Feliciano? Is it okay if I come in?"

Ludwig and Feliciano went completely rigid, their lips just millimetres apart when the soft knock and anxious voice sounded from the other side of the bedroom door. The Italian's heart went into overdrive, it pounded frantically against his chest as he stared widely around the room, mad ideas popped up in his head as to what to do; push Ludwig hurriedly back out of the window? Hide him under the bed? Prevent Antonio from entering his room?...but even as that thought occurred to him he heard the door handle shifting as the Spaniard went to let himself in. Before Feliciano could react; Ludwig had darted silently across the room, his face the picture of pure panic, and shut himself inside Feliciano's small wardrobe that stood beside the door just as it was tentatively opened and Antonio's head appeared in the gap.

"Hola, are you okay amigo?" he asked quietly, his concern increasing at the sight of Feliciano's petrified face.

Feliciano nodded hurriedly, his eyes flitted towards his motionless wardrobe before he turned away from it, pretending to be distracted by his curtains. "Sì...I just, I...sì..." he cleared his throat, opening his curtains slightly to appear outside into the pitch black.

Antonio slid quietly into the room, watching him curiously. "Sorry I just...I thought I heard you talking so I was worried." he muttered.

Feliciano nodded, his heart doing a summersault in his chest. "Sì I'm sorry, I was...I was talking to myself, trying to calm down..."

Antonio switched on the bedroom light, a soft yellow glow lit the room and the Spaniard strode over to the young man, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Feliciano, I want you to know I'm here for you." he said, suddenly rather insistent. "And Lovino too...I told him about what we just saw on the news, I don't think he was really listening to me, but if you want someone to talk to Feli..."

Feliciano tried to smile. "It's okay Antonio...I know you're both sick of this whole Ludwig thing." he muttered quietly with a shrug even as his heart continued to drum at a furious pace.

Antonio looked rather guilty. "It's not been easy for you." he murmured, gently turning the Italian away from the window to face him. "I understand, even if Lovi doesn't...and I know that right now you're probably worried sick." Antonio's face contorted into a more serious expression as the Italian continued to look down heartened. "Feliciano there have been times, I'll admit, that yes, both Lovino and I were a bit annoyed about your relationship with Ludwig; it was hard for us to watch you getting hurt over and over again..." he sighed. "...but I do really care about you, and I care about what happens to him..." Feliciano could have sworn he heard a sharp inhale from inside the wardrobe. "...so if you need someone to help you get through this, to reassure you, I'm here for you, Feliciano."

Feliciano almost forgot about his fear as he felt a sudden surge of warmth towards the man in front of him, and he gave him a genuine smile. "Grazie Antonio...really, I mean it."

Antonio smiled. "Good...for what it's worth, I'm sure they won't really shoot him...they were just trying to reassure the public, they'll probably find him soon and take him back, safe and sound." he said softly in a gentle tone of reassurance, he gave the Italian's chest a brief pat. The Spaniard's face suddenly dropped, and he looked very confused. "Feliciano...why is your jumper so wet?" he asked, giving the soggy fabric another curious poke.

Feliciano's eyes darted down to what Antonio was referring to. His dark blue jumper was now darker and unmistakably damp from embracing Ludwig, not to mention the slight smear of dirt across one of his sleeves. "Um, I just...I put my head out of the window." he said hurriedly, turning himself away from the Spaniard, his panic returning. "To...to see if I could see him...it's raining." he added.

Antonio stared at him in befuddlement. "What, out of the window backwards?" he asked, almost laughing in disbelief.

"...what can I say? I thought maybe Ludwig was on the roof." Feliciano muttered, he glanced fearfully towards his wardrobe which remained just as still as if it didn't contain a wanted criminal.

Antonio looked at him sadly. "Oh, well I'm sure he'll turn up soon..." he said vaguely, his arms swinging awkwardly by his sides. "...right, well I better see how Lovi is getting on so I'll-"

The Spaniard started with a violent jump. Something had just clattered from somewhere in Feliciano's bedroom; the unmistakable sound of a hanger falling off it's rail inside the Italian's wardrobe. Antonio might have been able to let it go as a random act of causality, but Feliciano's eyes had shot towards his wardrobe with such a look of intense fear and panic that the Spaniard couldn't pass it off as innocent. The older man stared at Feliciano with quizzical intensity. It took the Italian several moments to realise he was being stared at and when he did he let his head drop to the floor, his hands thrust behind his back.

The cogs in Antonio's mind were turning slowly, occasionally faltering as he glanced from the seemingly motionless wardrobe to the timorous man in front of him. "Feli..." the Spaniard whispered in a voice of disbelief. "...you didn't."

Feliciano rapidly shook his head but his eyes apologetic eyes betrayed him, already burning with fresh tears. Antonio glanced back towards the wardrobe and in two great strides he moved hastily towards it. Feliciano got there first, he darted out as quick as a flash and stood between him and the doors with his arms held out wide. Antonio didn't look annoyed, or even insistent as he was halted in front of the Italian...he just looked at him with pity.

"Feliciano...come on." he spoke gently yet encouragingly, holding out a hand towards him.

The Italian bit his lip, tears started to seep down his face. He took a shuddering breath as he stepped aside. "...you might as well come out Ludwig." he whispered shakily, closing his eyes.

He wasn't sure whether Antonio had fully prepared himself to see the German inmate emerging from the young man's wardrobe, looking almost just as scared as the Italian himself. The Spaniard seemed at a loss for words, he shook his head, threading his fingers into his curly locks. "Oh Feli..." he groaned softly, shaking his head from side to side. "...what have you done?"

"Antonio it's not like that." Feliciano insisted quietly, glancing anxiously towards his bedroom door.

"He didn't know I would come here." Ludwig said softly as he moved to Feliciano's side.

Antonio seemed to come back to himself, he stumbled backwards slightly over the carpet, tugging and pulling at his hair. "Feli this is...this is insane! I'm sorry but...no!" he blurted out in complete horror.

Feliciano bit his lip, holding up his hands in a calming manner. "Antonio please..." he hushed him.

Antonio shook his head in disbelief, he let go of his head so as to grab hold of the young man's hand, pulling him towards him and away from Ludwig "Feliciano, don't you realise how dangerous this is?" he demanded, casting fearful looks at the German over the Italian's shoulder.

"Of course I do!" Feliciano snapped, trying to pull himself away.

"Then what are you doing?" Antonio implored in bewilderment, pointing a finger at the blond. "Having him here!"

"I'm not an idiot Antonio!" Feliciano shot at him, tugging himself free of his tight grip, he took a deep breath, fixing the man with a firm stare. "I've known this all for a long time! I know what dating a man in prison would mean for me! And I know this is a bad idea but when you're in love you do crazy things!"

"B-But this goes a little far Feli!" Antonio spluttered incredulously.

Feliciano shook his head, tears raining down his face. "He's not doing any harm being here..."

Antonio sighed irritably, placing firm hands on the younger man's shoulders. "Feliciano you are harbouring a criminal, this is an offence! By hiding him from the authorities you could get put back in prison!" he asserted, manoeuvring his shoulders as if trying to shake some sense into the Italian.

"Well good!" Feliciano snapped, yanking himself away. "I want to go back! I can't stand being without Ludwig!"

"Feli don't talk like that." Ludwig spoke suddenly, making the two of them jump. He scooped Feliciano into his arms from behind; the younger man sniffed and turned to burrow himself into the German. Ludwig saw Antonio's eyes soften and he stared imploringly into the Spaniard. "Look, Antonio...you've always been the most understanding so please, I'm appealing to that side of you." he said softly, fairly, and Antonio hesitated until he gave a stilted nod. "I'll hand myself in quietly when the authorities arrive, I promise, no fuss or headache caused...und I'll tell them you didn't know I was here, und that I'd only just arrived when they showed up...but please, I just need to see Feliciano."

Antonio regarded him for a moment, and when he next spoke his voice was softer, calmer. "...but he wants to get you released, so you can be together officially...there'll be no possible chance of that happening now."

"I'm aware of that." Ludwig said hollowly, and he felt Feliciano's arms tighten around his waist. "It was a sudden decision, I saw my chance to escape und I took it...I'll most likely regret it when I go back there und never get to see Feliciano again...but for now all I want is to be with him, even if only for a short time."

Feliciano slowly pulled back from Ludwig's embrace to gaze at his friend with damp, saddened eyes. "Don't you understand how much he loves me Antonio? How badly we want to be together?" he whispered shakily.

Antonio seemed to be battling internally, his cogs were working furiously again as his brows furrowed and his face turned into a deep frown. Before any of them could speak again however, an unwelcome arrival suddenly burst into the young man's bedroom.

"Did you sort him out Antonio?" Romano forced his way into the room without knocking and caught sight of the orange jumpsuit clad convict standing with his arms wrapped protectively around his little brother. For a moment everyone was completely still, no one made a sound or any movement, no body even breathed. Then, without warning-

"OH HELL NO!" the Italian bellowed, the walls practically shook with the force of the explosion. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK FELICIANO!?" Antonio was forced backwards as Romano pushed him aside and strode up to the couple. "What the HELL is HE doing here!?"

"I-I told you Lovi, Ludwig escaped from-" Antonio tried to interject but Romano was too full of rage and fury to care for what his partner had to say.

"So you brought him here!? A wanted criminal! In OUR home!" Romano snarled, surging towards his brother even as Ludwig tried to hide the young man behind his back. The Italian merely shoved the German aside, and in his blind rage Romano was much stronger than Ludwig had anticipated, who stumbled right over his own feet and fell to the carpet. "SERIOUSLY!"

"Lovino please!" Feliciano begged his older brother. "Please please don't do anything! He only came here to see me!"

"More like KILL all of us!" Romano bellowed, glowering at the trembling man. "He's DANGEROUS! How could you do this!?"

"It was never my intention to-" Ludwig tried as he struggled to sit up but Romano cut across him.

"You know what? That is IT! IT FELICIANO!" Romano stormed to the other side of the room, gripping the back of his head. "I have been sick of this from the beginning! At first I was sure it was just some stupid phase and you'd grow out of it! That you'd forget about him and move on but clearly I was mistaking you for someone with intelligence!" he screamed, spinning around to fix the two of them with a deadly glare. Neither Feliciano or Ludwig said a word, they could not think how to calm the man down. Romano gave a sudden growl and delved deeply into his pocket. "Well I am going to put an end to this right now do you hear?" and from the depths of his jeans he removed his mobile phone and went to dial the number for the police. "I've already lost you once I'm not letting it happen again!"

"Lovino NO!" Feliciano yelled in a blind panic, but before either he or Ludwig could do anything to stop him; there came a loud crack, and the Italian's brother fell to a heap face down on the floor, his mobile resting inches from his face on the carpet with the number keyed onto the screen, but not yet dialled.

Feliciano could only gape in complete shock. Behind his brother's fallen body stood Antonio, who was holding the shattered remains of the Italian's bedside lamp in his hand, the blunt object in which he'd just used to send his partner unconscious to the floor. With trembling hands he placed it down on the floor, tentatively reaching over to touch Romano's back. "I'm sorry baby..." he whispered, his voice deep with concern. Both Feliciano and Ludwig held their breath, but to everyone's relief they saw the Italian's chest gently rise and fall, letting them know he was okay.

Feliciano took hold of Ludwig's hand, still unable to take his eyes off his incapacitated brother sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom. He only looked up when he saw Antonio approaching them, his face was unusually serious, all warmth and compassion drained completely from it, his eyes deep and searching.

"Right, listen to me right now both of you." the Spaniard's voice matched his new facade, so much more dark and authoritative than Feliciano was ever used to hearing him. "Feliciano, you love Ludwig don't you?" he asked suddenly, grabbing the man's arms.

Feliciano was rather perplexed by the obscurity of the question in the given circumstances. "...s-sì."

Antonio nodded. "...and you want to be with him? Truly and surely?"

"Sì..."

"Even if that means giving up everything? Myself, Lovino, your life here...you'd be willing to give that all up for Ludwig?" Antonio never broke eye contact with the young Italian, searching deeply into him for an honest answer.

Feliciano kept the contact, and slowly he nodded, squeezing the German's hand. "Sì...I do." he whispered.

Antonio let his eyes close briefly. "Alright then, and Ludwig...you promise to take care of Feliciano, to never leave him?" he asked of the German, opening his eyes again. "You'll stay with him, keep him safe? Love him for as long as you're together?"

Ludwig stared at him, still deeply confounded, he was reminded of wedding vows. "Of course...I give you my word, Antonio."

The Spaniard stared at him long and hard, there was silence between them, and finally the man nodded. "Okay then. You two need to do exactly as I say." he said in a low voice, and in an instant the slow, calm demeanour of the Spaniard changed. He threw himself into the wardrobe and wrenched open the doors. "Right, Feliciano, gather some clothes together, as many as you think you can carry."

Feliciano looked confused. "What?"

"Underwear, shirts, socks...and I'd take a couple of jumpers." Antonio was muttering frantically to himself, his eyes flitting back to the two of them. "Ludwig, change into some of Feliciano's clothes, I'll be back in a minute." he disappeared out of the bedroom, leaving the couple looking utterly dumbfounded.

"Is...is he going to take us somewhere?" Ludwig croaked softly.

Feliciano seemed at a loss for words, yet did as he was told and began to gather his favourite clothes together in a pile. Ludwig took a moment to get into drive before he followed instructions and changed into a shirt and a pair of jeans of Feliciano's, even though they were a little small for him. Antonio returned just as he was finishing getting dressed and dropped a large rug sack onto the carpet.

"Pack you clothes, and anything else you think you might need...leave your phone." he added when he saw Feliciano glance towards his device on top of his bedside table. The Spaniard disappeared again and whilst Feliciano was busy stuffing garments into the bag they had once used for a camping trip, Ludwig bent down and scooped up Romano. He placed the Italian gently on Feliciano's bed, draping the covers over him.

"Is he okay?" Feliciano asked quietly, glancing up from his over flowing bag.

"He will be." Ludwig muttered.

Antonio bustled in again, this time with a large plastic bag stuffed full of cakes and pastries. "Here." he thrust the bag into Feliciano's hands. "Ludwig grab the rug sack and follow me, both of you." his voice was still demanding and stark, no warmth to it at all, he grabbed Ludwig's discarded jumpsuit and stuffed it into his coat pocket. Silently the three of them left the bedroom, Feliciano giving Romano a brief hug and kiss before he followed on, gazing back at him sadly as he left, as he wouldn't know when he would ever get another chance to.

He didn't know what was going on. From the looks of it, Ludwig didn't know either. Antonio took them outside into the thundering rain, all of them staring around anxiously as they hurriedly darted to the Spaniard's small car and piled into it. Without a word Antonio started it up and drove off; Feliciano turned around in the back seat to stare as his beloved cafe faded from sight, lost in the darkness. The rain pounded heavily against the car as they travelled through the town. Beside him Ludwig had a tight hold on his hand, he could feel the German trembling with cold, and possibly something else.

After a minute or so of silence, Antonio suddenly pulled up into a side road that was completely deserted. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. "Stay here, I've got to make a phone call." he climbed out, his mobile phone in hand and shut the door on the couple, leaving them sat in the cold dark car.

Feliciano watched as Antonio dialled a number and spoke into the device outside in the pouring rain. He couldn't hear what was being said, or who he'd called, and with a glance next to him he saw the petrified face of Ludwig staring out of the window at the Spaniard, his throat contracting as he swallowed. The Italia nudged him gently, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey...don't worry, Antonio wouldn't do that to us." the Italian's whisper sounded strange in the silence.

Ludwig nodded numbly, tearing his eyes away from the dark window. "Ja...I know...but who else would he call?" he muttered.

"I don't know, but I trust him." Feliciano told him certainly, even as he watched the Spaniard, not knowing what he could possibly be doing.

After a long while the man returned. Occasionally a car had sped past where they were parked and Feliciano had felt Ludwig's hand clamp down hard on his own. Antonio said nothing, rubbed a hand across his soaking wet face and set off again. Feliciano tried to avoid looking out of the window, afraid of where they were headed, but when they passed the large, looming steeple of the town's church he couldn't help but stare in awe at the dark shadows that eclipsed them as they drove around the large, hallowing building.

Feliciano felt Ludwig stiffen beside him. "Stop the car." he said suddenly.

Antonio's authoritative tenner faltered slightly at the demand. "What?"

"Stop the car." Ludwig told him again, more assertive this time as he tore off his seatbelt.

"Ludwig what are you doing?" Feliciano questioned concernedly, grabbing hold of the man's arm.

Ludwig brushed him off gently. "Stop the car Antonio!" he barked rather aggressively.

The Spaniard stopped abruptly, turning the car to pull up onto the pavement leading to the entrance to the grounds of the church. Without a second's hesitation Ludwig had forced open the car door and climbed out into the heavy gale.

"Ludwig where are you going!?" Feliciano shouted in panic, leaning himself out of the doorway towards him.

"Just stay here I'll be right back!" Ludwig called over his shoulder, he was already running from the car, vanishing into the darkness.

"Ludwig no! Ludwig come back!" Feliciano yelled desperately, tugging himself free of his seatbelt.

"Feli don't you go as well!" Antonio warned him but the young man had already gone. Slamming the car door closed behind him Feliciano turned and ran in the direction he'd seen Ludwig go before Antonio could try to stop him. He couldn't see the man anywhere in the darkness, and he couldn't hear him over the pouring rain that soaked him as he ran. Feliciano's legs hit a wall with a crunch and leapt over it, tearing across what he felt was grass beneath his feet. He didn't care if he was caught, he didn't care if Antonio left, he didn't care that there was blood now trickling down his knees; he only cared about finding Ludwig, finding him, before someone else did...

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**Just two more to go me thinks, hope you're liking the suspense :)**

**Reviews are love :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

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"Jeff did you get those papers I asked for!? Mike! Where the hell is my coffee!? For fuck sake would someone please just give me some good news!" the dark skinned prison warden gripped furiously as his coiled hair, pacing furiously about the small office that was jam packed with officers and prison guards. Several people scattered away frantically when the warden approached them, hurrying to busy themselves with papers and phone calls. The warden halted all of a sudden, massaging the top of his head with his rough knuckles. "In twenty years we've never had an escapee...and now this!?" he slammed a large fist on a nearby desk, causing a female officer to shriek in shock. "Kirkland!" he barked, catching sight of the British prison guard attempting to edge himself to the exit of the crowded office. "Get over here!"

"Y-Yes Sir?" Arthur answered anxiously, tentatively approaching the warden from behind a desk.

The warden pointed a thick finger in the man's face. "I want you and Jones to take squad car 18 and scout out the general area, my understanding is that out of all of our staff you knew Ludwig, and you were the closest to him, am I right?" he questioned quietly in a low growl.

Arthur shifted nervously on the spot. "Well, close is a strong word Sir, I knew of him..." he muttered vaguely.

"You knew him well enough to know the man's history." the warden glowered, moving closer to the Brit. "If I find out that you're withholding information Kirkland, I could very easily have you put away." he slowly stood back up, his rather worn and usually tired looking face the picture of cold rage and frustration. "Find him, bring him back here, you know the man so you should know exactly where he's headed."

Arthur tried hard to mask his involuntary swallow, thankfully the warden had already rounded on some other poor officer and left the Brit alone amongst the sea of worried, anxious, stressed out faces. For a few moments he just stood silently in the office, not moving at all, eventually however, he knew he needed to get on with his job. With a heavy sigh, Arthur grabbed his coat that was hanging over the back of a desk chair and he tugged it on. Before he could even squeeze his way past and out into the corridor however, a worried face appeared in the doorway and was hurriedly making her way over to him.

"Arthur..." Elizaveta grabbed the man's arm when she reached him through the crowd of staff, she stared up at him with wide eyes. She was wearing her green travelling coat and looked as if she had just been on her way home. "Is it true?" the Hungarian asked in a soft whisper.

The Brit nodded slowly. "Yes, Ludwig got out, did no one tell you?"

"Everyone's been too busy sorting out the riot, I had to see to all the injured inmates and sign death certificates for those ones who were killed." Elizaveta told him, biting her lip slightly. "Oh gosh, I can't believe it, poor Ludwig, he's probably so lost and afraid..."

Arthur sighed. "Yes...listen Liz, I've really got to go." the Brit tried to side step past the young woman but a guard bustled across his path and prevented him from moving, in the momentary stumble the Hungarian took the chance to grab hold of his arm to prevent him from leaving.

"Arthur where are you going?" Elizaveta asked suddenly rather assertively, her big green eyes boring into the man above her.

The Brit gazed down at her with a blank expression for several long seconds, she continue to stare imploringly up at him and Arthur sighed. "You know where I'm going, Elizaveta." he said finally in a low voice.

"Arthur please..." Elizaveta whispered. "...you're Ludwig's friend."

Arthur's eyes flitted around the crowded office hurriedly and he quickly ushered the Hungarian towards an empty corner where nobody was stood occupying the space. He turned her to face him, his brow creasing with concern. "I know, but listen Liz I can't just do nothing, I know where Ludwig is, I know where he's gone..." his voice was so soft he had to lean down towards Elizaveta for her to understand him. "...we both know full well where he is, and I have to act on it."

"No you don't." Elizaveta insisted, grabbing the Brit's arms. "You don't know it for definite, they can't prove you knew anything."

Arthur just looked at her, sighing inwardly as he patted her hands. "...yes I do, you know it as well as I that he's gone to find Feliciano." the Brit glanced anxiously around again but the staff were all too occupied with their duties to pay attention to them.

Elizaveta bit her lip. "Well yes possibly...but you don't know that for sure! They can't blame you for not knowing..."

"They'll find a way you know that Elizaveta...any excuse to get me out of here." the Brit muttered coldly.

"Well...well can you delay it?" Elizaveta asked, gripping his hands in her own.

"What?"

Elizaveta pulled him close, pressing her face into his shoulder to whisper into his ear. "Let Ludwig have some time with Feliciano, just delay it okay? Take a long route, get yourself lost or just drive around for a while."

Arthur's bushy brows furrowed in confusion. "Liz I...I can't do that, it's not appropriate." he said uneasily. "He's an escaped convict."

"Arthur you know he's not going to cause any harm!" Elizaveta hissed, tugging at his arms. "He just wants to see Feli, can't you just let them have a little time together? That's all he wants, you saw the state he was in today..."

Arthur sighed, pulling back from her. "Yes he did seem very distressed, but Liz...escaping prison was not the answer, he would have seen Feliciano next month."

"That's not nearly enough and you know it Arthur!" Elizaveta growled, glaring up at the man in an uncharacteristic turn of anger. "How would you like it if you could only see Alfred once a month for barely any time at all? It's just not fair! All they want is to be together."

Arthur bit his lip, his resistance crumbling. "I...I know but...Elizaveta, it's not that simple-"

"Because you're making it complicated! Please Arthur..." she begged, her eyes wide. "...Ludwig always respected you, out of everyone here before Feliciano came along you were the only man he cared about...and who he thought cared about him..."

The Brit hesitated a few moments longer, casting another anxious glance towards his fellow prison guards before he relented. "Alright, here's what I'll do." he muttered quietly into the Hungarian's ear, who didn't help the subtlety by bursting into a wide grin. "I'll head over to Feliciano's place with Alfred, but we'll stay there for...for an hour or so okay? We'll meet him there and we'll tell him he has to come with us, but we'll let them be alone for a while...I'll give them as long as I can but I can't delay it forever." he said finally, standing up straight. "If they send over other officers I won't be able to talk my way out of why we didn't bring him back here immediately."

"Oh thank you Arthur!" Elizaveta cried, throwing herself into his arms. "I know they'll both really appreciate it!"

"Okay, okay shhh!" Arthur scorned her, his gazed nervously flitting about but thankfully no one seemed to be even aware of their existence in the dark corner of the office. He gently released her when she'd finished squeezing him. "Look I have to go before the warden sees me, he's convinced I know where Ludwig is and he'll get suspicious if I delay my leaving any longer."

"Okay, good luck Arthur, and please try to give them as much time as you can." Elizaveta gave him a haste kiss on the cheek before she squeezed her way out of the office, the presence of a prison physician anywhere near the administration department never failed to arouse suspicion among the guards...and the Hungarian's friendly nature towards the inmates had always been a source of confusion and suspicion at the prison.

Arthur sighed, buttoned up his black coat and made to leave in the opposite direction, he had left his partner in the courtyard to deal with the aftermath of the shootout and he needed to find him so that they could get going. Before he'd even made it as far as the cafeteria however, Alfred had appeared at the other end of block D and was jogging over to him.

"Arthur are you leaving?" the American asked, nodding to the Brit's thick coat.

Arthur nodded. "Yes, get your coat too the warden wants us both out there looking...he thinks we'll know where Ludwig is." he said quietly.

Alfred nodded, his face slightly distorted. "Yeah...well we both know that."

"Hmm..." Arthur couldn't help but notice the uneasiness in Alfred's voice. "...everything sorted around here?"

Alfred gave another stilted nod. "Yeah, got everything locked down, all the fires are out and everyone who needed it has been taken to the hospital." the American kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being listened in on.

"...I'm still wondering how on earth Ludwig even got out." Arthur said thoughtfully, looking incredibly surprised when his partner actually gave a sudden jolt. "Alfred are you okay?" he asked concernedly, giving the American a squeeze on the shoulder. "You look a little on edge, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing." Alfred dismissed the hand with a rapid shake of the head. "It's nothing, come on let's get out of here before someone asks what we're doing." he attempted to surge passed the Brit but Arthur grabbed hold of the back of his shirt before he could take so much as one step.

"Alfred, come on...you know I can tell when something's wrong, tell me what it is." Arthur implored gently, turning his partner back round to face him.

"...we don't have time." Alfred muttered, making a feeble attempt to free himself.

"There is always time for us to talk." Arthur told him firmly, settling both of his hands on the American's broad shoulders. "Now what is it?"

Alfred gazed at him, his face unreadable; the American shook his head. "Arthur, sometimes you are just too nice and too trusting for your own good." he muttered quietly, he held up a hand when the Brit attempted to cut in. "Sometimes you even trust the people you love with things you shouldn't trust them with...like when you trusted that Goddamn American with the keys to the prison." Alfred reached into his pocket and held up a set of keys that appeared blackened by charcoal. "And then you trusted that he would be responsible with them, and under no circumstances would he...would he..." Alfred bit his lip. "...would he give them to an inmate during the middle of a riot so that he could escape without anybody noticing..." he finished in a hoarse whisper, hanging his head in shame.

Arthur stared at him, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping open in shock. "...Ludwig...Ludwig just walked out of the front door?" he breathed, checking once again for anybody who might be about.

Alfred nodded slowly. "...I saw him when you took him to Elizaveta, how he was crying and stuff because he missed Feliciano so badly...I don't know." he shrugged, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trousers along with the keys. "He looked so upset, and when the riot started he was just sat there in his cell not doing anything and I thought...here's a guy who has the chance to cause some mayhem, to hurt someone or set something on fire...but all he was doing was sitting there, not getting involved...and I just thought it was crazy that he was stuck in here when...when he's not dangerous at all." Alfred admitted, stubbing his toe into the floor. "So I just threw the keys at him and ran off...I wasn't even sure he'd use them...I'm really sorry Arthur." the Brit was still staring at him, unable to speak. "Arthur, I'm sorry." still nothing, Alfred started to get worried. "I'm really, really-"

Alfred was cut of mid-sentence by a pair of warm lips against his own and a pair of arms thrown around his neck. Arthur was practically lifted off the floor by the man as he kissed him heatedly and passionately for a few seconds before he pushed the American away, both were panting ever so slightly when they parted. "Alfred Jones." Arthur whispered, his green eyes flooded with tears. "What you have done is the most idiotic, stupid, careless..." the American nodded solemnly. "...sweetest, most beautiful thing I have ever heard." the Brit finished, laughing slightly at the confuzzled look he was given in return. "What you have done for Ludwig is the most selfless thing you've ever done...oh Alfred." Arthur flung himself back into the man's arms, kissing him deeply and longingly.

"...I, I really wasn't expecting that." Alfred told him with a nervous laugh when they parted again.

Arthur smiled at him, shaking his head. "Well it wasn't the cleverest thing to do I'll admit, but I would have wanted to do the same thing." he told him, taking the American's hand. "It'll be okay, we know where he is and we can bring him back here once he's had some time with Feliciano, no harm, no foul."

Alfred nodded and the two of them started making their way back towards the prison office block, ready to set out. "...and what happens if he's not where we think he is?" he asked suddenly, stopping them in their tracks.

Arthur hesitated slightly, glancing around again. "Well if that's the case...I guess we're moving far away and changing our names."

**~0~**

"Ludwig!" Feliciano's voice kept being carried away by the roaring winds, his throat was raw from screaming into the darkness. "LUDWIG!" his shins were covered in cuts and bruises, he kept staggering and knocking into hard chunks of rock that were protruding from out of the damp ground. The Italian couldn't see a thing, any lights that shone in the distance from street lamps were far too distant to penetrate the blackness that engulfed him. Feliciano's eyes were streaming with moisture, whether just from the rain or from a torrent of tears he couldn't be sure. "Ludwig..." his voice was a heart wrenching moan now, panic was rising with every passing second he couldn't find the man. There had to be police patrolling the town everywhere, it was so dangerous to be running out in the open, which was why he was so determined to find the German before the worst happened.

Feliciano tripped over another piece of rock and staggered, slipping on the wet grass he stumbled and fell onto his knees. The Italian's chest deflated, his body went suddenly numb and he lost the will to continue. He bit his lip, the moisture running down his face was definitely tears now. Feliciano stayed slumped in the mud, silently weeping as the rain poured around him, although it seemed to be easing off just slightly. Instead, the soft thunder that he had distantly heard overhead back in his bedroom was growing louder and more prominent. The Italian scrubbed harshly at his eyes with his drenched jumper sleeve, he turned around and squinted into the distance, in the direction from which he'd run. He thought he could just make out Antonio's car beneath the dull orange glow of a street lamp; if the man had gotten out and attempted to come after the Italian, he had clearly gone the wrong way.

Feliciano still wasn't entirely sure where he was, he was on a slope, he realised as he stared around. The church loomed ahead of him, much closer now so perhaps this was indeed the courtyard of the church that he was sat sobbing in. A thought then occurred that maybe Ludwig had gone into the church, to confess, or pray perhaps? It was a long shot, Feliciano was certain that the German wasn't a religious man, but he had to try, it was his last hope.

Struggling to his feet -his legs attempting to give way from the pain and ache of tiredness- Feliciano staggered across the damp ground and headed towards the towering, spinal building. As he came steadily closer he could make out a dim light that was shining out from the ground, just outside the entrance to the seemingly locked doors of the church; a tall figure was illuminated into view and the Italian almost fell over again from the shock and fear of the unexpected sighting. For a long moment Feliciano remained frozen with fear, staring wide eyed at the dark, shadow like figure in the distance. But the still man was starting to look more and more familiar the longer he stared, and as Feliciano came back to himself he realised who it was, and a intense, warm, relief flooded through his numb chest and he took off at a run.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano tore across the ground, managing to leap over any protruding stones and tore into the German, flinging himself around the man's sodden chest, burying himself into him. "I was so scared! What were you doing!? Ludwig!" the Italian burst into tears all over again, but only for a few short moments before he managed to pull himself together. Only then did the Italian realise that Ludwig hadn't budged an inch, he hadn't pulled him close or attempted to embrace him, he hadn't spoken up or even seemed to be breathing. "...Ludwig?" Feliciano pulled back from the man, holding tightly to his shoulders he stared up at the German with deep concern. "...what's wrong?" he murmured, giving the man a gentle shake.

Ludwig's eyes were fixated on the ground, his face expressionless. Feliciano turned around and with a heavy heart he came to realise what had transfixed him so. They were indeed in the church courtyard, but through the darkness Feliciano had not realised that they were also stood in the middle of a peaceful cemetery. Sat just inches from where they were stood was a weathered, grey headstone, and despite the erosion of the stone and the dark surroundings, the Italian could clearly read the engraved inscription:

_Gilbert Beilschmidt_

_Taken too soon,_

_A Unique Son,_

_An Awesome Big Brother,_

_Gone but not forgotten_

Feliciano stared at the stone through the slow drizzle that was easing off around them. He found Ludwig's hand in the dark and gave it a slight squeeze, shivering at the icy feel of the German's fingers against his own. "Ludwig...are you okay?" he whispered, daring to glance up at him.

Ludwig let his eyes drift close, and the Italian saw his throat contract as he swallowed. "...ja." he muttered, pressing a hand to his face. "Fine..."

Feliciano looked at him sadly, gently tugging the man closer to him. "Ludwig..." he bit his lip, the man's eyes showed the unmistakable remnants of tears; the Italian laced their fingers together. "It's okay..."

"I'm sorry Feli." Ludwig said suddenly, turning himself away from the Italian. "This was incredibly idiotic...I could have gotten both of us caught, I just..." he glanced back down at his brother's grave but had to look away again with another badly masked intake of breath.

"No it's okay, I understand..." Feliciano said gently, keeping a firm grasp on the man's cold fingers despite the way they hung limply in his own. "He meant everything to you, and you never got to see this..."

Ludwig nodded slowly, allowing his eyes to skim briefly through the engravings at their feet. "...I didn't know what they'd written on it." he whispered in a hoarse voice. "His parents chose what to put...I had no idea that they'd...that they'd listened to me."

"...what do you mean?" Feliciano asked softly.

"...I told them Gilbert's last words to me." Ludwig murmured, a large tear spilling down his face. "I didn't for a second think that...that anything I told them would be included on his grave..."

Feliciano smiled warmly, gently slipping his arms around Ludwig's middle; the Italian's shirt he was wearing was completely soaked through and clinging to his body heavily. Ludwig took a few moments to react, before he slowly wrapped his arms around the young man's shoulders, holding him tightly against him. The rain had almost stopped now, the thunder overhead was rumbling gently above them and the galling winds had stilled to a chilly breeze. Feliciano leant up to kiss the tip of Ludwig's frozen nose. "...do you think Gilbert would have approved of our relationship?" he asked him quietly, gazing down at the strangely beautiful headstone.

"Are you kidding me?" Ludwig muttered with a smirk. "If he'd have met you he'd never have left us alone...he'd throw confetti over us whenever we walked by him, he'd sing a wedding song und constantly ask when we were planning to adopt." the German laughed slightly, shaking his head. Feliciano smiled and joined in, cuddling into his man. Ludwig returned the smile, leaning down for a soft kiss. "Gilbert would have loved you, Feli." he murmured softly. "...I wish you had the chance to meet him."

"...we never would have met if he was still here." Feliciano pointed out delicately.

"Ja, that's true...in a way, I guess that was his last act of awesomeness." Ludwig said with a wavering smile, having to turn his head to wipe away another sudden tear. "I just wish that I'd stop ruining people's lives..." he muttered.

"Ludwig don't be ridiculous." Feliciano told him firmly.

"Feli look at us." Ludwig said with a shake of the head. flinging an arm out hopelessly to their surroundings. "We're in the middle of a cemetery, soaking wet with the police looking for us everywhere and you've just abandoned your home...how have I not ruined your life?"

Feliciano just smiled at him. "Ludwig I don't know what's going to happen to us...but I do know that whatever it is, I want it to stick with you, because I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too, Feliciano Vargas." Ludwig murmured, and he gave his love a long, deep kiss.

For a long while, the two lovers merely stood in the dark cemetery in each other's embrace in front of the grave of the only other person in the world that Ludwig had ever cared about. Feliciano eventually came back to reality, and realised how long they had left Antonio no doubt worrying sick about where they were. "Ludwig, we should really get back to the car."

Ludwig nodded slowly. "Ja, I know..." he sighed, bending down towards his brother's grave. "...goodbye Gilbert, you'll always be my brother, in this life und the next." he kissed the tips of his fingers and pressed them gently against the top of the headstone. "I love you Gil."

Feliciano held out his hand to help the man to his feet, then slowly they trekked back down the sloping church courtyard towards the dimly lit street below where Antonio's car was waiting for them. The Spaniard in question, thankfully, was still in the driver's seat and jumped out when he saw the couple approaching. "Where did you two go!? I was worried to death! You can't just run off like this, there are police everywhere! Get back in the car!" he shrieked with hysterical relief, flinging open the back door to his car to allow them to climb in.

Before they could even get their seatbelts on Antonio had sped off again, nobody spoke for a long while, and it wasn't until Feliciano realised that they were actually leaving the town that he decided he needed to know what was happening to them. "Antonio where are you taking us?" the Italian asked.

There was a short pause. "Just trust me, okay?" Antonio muttered; he was bent low over the steering wheel, desperately peering around out of all the car windows as they drove for any possible sightings of blue flashing lights.

Feliciano didn't feel reassured. He felt for Ludwig's hand in the dark car and clung to it, he could feel the tremors of the German's hand against his own and he leant into the man's cold, damp shoulder. "...where do you think we're going?" he murmured quietly.

"...I don't know...but we can't run forever." Ludwig's soft reply came, yet the Italian felt that trembling hand squeeze his own.

Feliciano didn't want to think about Ludwig's words, even though he knew they spoke the truth. As safe as they were now, away from the Italian's home, where no doubt the police would be showing up any time now, they would eventually be caught. They were being driven on the outskirts of the town now, driving past the ocean that glinted in the moonlight in the not too far off distance. Antonio became slightly distracted by the scene, he slowed the car down to a crawl as they came near to a cliff that dropped down to the treturous waves that thrashed the jagged rocks below. Feliciano could only just make out the cliff edge in the distance, there was nothing but deep blackness that followed.

"Um, Antonio?" he croaked softly as they almost came to a complete stop. "Why have you taken us here?"

Antonio was gazing fixatedly at the cliff and the sea below them. After a few seconds he shook his head and put his foot down on the gas, driving speedily along the wet roads once more. "Sorry, it's nothing." he muttered, but the cogs in his mind were clearly at work once more.

Feliciano went back to silently worrying about where they were headed, where could they possibly go that was safe? Nowhere. If the police finished searching their small town they'd no doubt search the countryside as well, and it'd be easy enough to find them when they took DNA evidence from Antonio's car and started questioning the Spaniard, and there was no way Romano was going to stay quiet about Ludwig's whereabouts. Feliciano nudged himself closer to the German, he was trembling too.

Finally, after what had to have been an hour of silence; Antonio started to slow down and look around. He came to almost a complete stop and turned right, driving over a bump he manoeuvred the car carefully through a large gap in a tall, rusted metal fence. Feliciano craned his neck to take a look out of the window at their destination. The Spaniard clearly knew exactly where he was, he drove across the tarmac slowly but certainly. The Italian couldn't be sure where they were, it was dark and he couldn't see much anyway, but from the looks of things it was just a giant empty space encased by metal fencing. Yet occasionally they passed by giant bunkers that looked like hangars, all of which looked completely vacant, some with their large double doors hanging off their hinges.

"Antonio what it this place?" Feliciano asked softly in bewilderment, pressing his nose against the cold glass of the car window.

Antonio's car crunched quietly across the gravel as they moved silently through the darkness. The Spaniard didn't speak, he seemed to be holding his breath. He slowly approached one of the bunkers, driving alongside it until he reached the top of it, and the three men in the car could see a rather bright light blaring at them from the middle of a dark clearing as he turned round it.

The light lit up what Feliciano could just make out from the faded markings across the tarmac; a runway. Antonio's chest deflated with relief and he sped up slightly to reach the source of the brightness. Ludwig squinted and ducked down slightly in his seat but Feliciano stared completely upright and gaping at what was coming slowly into view the closer they got to it. The lights were not from that of a police car, as Ludwig seemed to fear; but to their complete disbelief, the vehicle sat on the runway, humming loudly from the running engine, was a plane.

A small plane at that. A tiny thing that could fit no more than about four or five people, and rather old as well, with parts of the metal rusting in places and the foreign words painted on the body peeling and faded. Antonio stopped the car a good few metres from the small plane and leapt out, rushing towards a man who had just jumped down from the cockpit. The man was a similar height to the Spaniard, with blond curls and a rather effeminate look about him. Feliciano and Ludwig shared a long look, a look that seemed full of question and uncertainty.

"...he's really serious?" Ludwig muttered after a while.

"I guess...I mean getting far away probably is the best thing." Feliciano answered rather uneasily.

Before Ludwig could respond they both noticed Antonio waving furiously at them from beside the plane to join them. The couple got out of the car together and hurried to reach them, wincing slightly as the sound of the plane's engine wracked through them the closer they approached. Antonio ushered the stranger towards them hastily.

"Feli, Ludwig, this is Francis." the blond man smiled and held out his hand.

"Antonio what's going on?" Feliciano asked distractedly as he shook Francis' hand.

"Francis is a good friend of mine." Antonio told him and the blond beamed at him, smacking the Spaniard on the back when he'd shaken hands with the German.

"Oui, it'z been too long mon ami, it'z a shame zat we meet again under zese unusual circumstances." Francis said with a very distinctive French accent, rubbing a hand across his stubbly chin.

Antonio smiled at him. "I can't thank you enough for this, if you hadn't answered my call..." he shook his head, addressing Feliciano once more.

"Francis was one of my friends who I used to run that little delivery business with, and he's going to get you both far away from here...somewhere they can't find you."

"Surely they can track planes." Ludwig pointed out.

"But this place looks abandoned." Feliciano added, gazing around the completely deserted area; he shivered slightly as a crash of thunder rumbled overhead.

"Oui, but we still do deliveries, we're a private company and we're not closely monitored." Francis told them. "I 'ave a delivery to make tonight so I can take you onboard as well."

Feliciano stared at him. "Where to?"

"That doesn't matter." Antonio said firmly, he glanced down at his watch and swore. "There's not much time, get on-oh wait!" he jogged quickly back to his car and retrieved Feliciano's bag of clothes and the plastic bag of food. "Here." he shoved them into Ludwig's arms when he reached them again.

Francis climbed up to the plane and tugged open the side door to the back. "Hop in." he held out his hand towards them.

Antonio grabbed Ludwig's arm before he could move. "Ludwig, you are responsible for Feliciano now." he said almost in a growl.

Ludwig nodded. "I know."

"You look after him, no matter what it takes...don't ever forget the sacrifice he's making for you." Antonio's strangely serious voice was almost droned out by the loud roaring of the plane's engine but Ludwig understood completely. He nodded firmly and shook the Spaniard's hand.

"Thank you, Antonio." the German heaved the Italian's bag onto his back and climbed into the back of the plane.

Antonio seemed almost reluctant to turn to Feliciano. "Well...goodbye Feli." he said, his voice wavering uncontrollably.

Feliciano choked out a sob and threw himself into the man, crying into the Spaniard's shoulder. "...I'll never forget this, Antonio." he blubbered, squeezing him close. "I'll never forget you..."

"Feli don't, this isn't goodbye forever." Antonio said with a slight laugh, hurriedly dabbing at his eyes. "I'm sure I'll see you again...but maybe not for a few years, when this has all died down.

Feliciano pulled back from the embrace, biting his lip. "Tell Lovi I'll miss him, and that I love him..."

Antonio smiled, nodding. "I will."

"...he won't hate you for this will he?" Feliciano asked anxiously.

Antonio shrugged unsurely. "Possibly, but he'll understand one day, when he realises you're doing what's best for you." the Spaniard gave his watch another glance. "Feli, you really need to get going, I have to get back and...tie up all the loose ends."

"What?"

"If everything goes to plan, you'll know within a week or two...now go, come on." Antonio grabbed the Italian's hand and pushed him towards the plane where Francis was still waiting for him with his arm outstretched.

Feliciano grabbed the man's hand and heaved himself up onto the plane with his foot inside the door, he glanced back at his cherished friend who looked a mixture of relieved, terrified and heartbroken. The Italian managed a tiny smile. "I love you Antonio...thank you for everything."

Antonio smiled, struggling to stay composed. "I love you too Feliciano, stay safe." he blew the man a haste kiss and a wave before he turned around and tore back towards his car, he seemed to be in an incredible hurry to leave.

Feliciano ducked down beneath the plane's door and climbed into the back where he found Ludwig sat in a small gap between two piles of wooden crates. The German looked uncomfortable and unbelievably edgy but he still smiled reassuringly when he saw the Italian and held out his arms. Francis slid the door firmly shut, leaving them in almost complete darkness, before he climbed into the tiny cockpit and started fiddling with the controls. Ludwig sat Feliciano down on his lap, wrapping his arms firmly around the younger man. Feliciano felt the tiniest bit more at ease, he removed a cotton blanket from his rug sack and threw it around the two of them, cuddling up into the German's chest.

"Are you ready?" Francis's voice sounded suddenly from a soft speaker over their heads.

"Ja we are." Ludwig called up to him, they could only just make out the back of the stranger's head in the dark, cramped inside of the plane; the size meant it was rather like being in a car, but much nosier and incredibly unnerving. After another few moments the plane started moving, crawling across the runway just as Antonio's car had done so, only it began to pick up speed. Feliciano found Ludwig's hands and clamped down on them for all it was worth, burrowing himself deeply into the man. Tears were prickling in the corners of his eyes, he didn't know whether to be more relieved or terrified about what was happening. They were still unbelievably unsure of what was going on, where they would end up and whether or not it would work. Their future was uncertain, plagued by fear and doubt; the plane left the ground, climbing up through the air, rattling and jolting and sending Feliciano's heartbeat skyrocketing. Yet somehow he was able to block it out, to push past the fear and uncertainty, the pain of what he was leaving behind, because wherever he was going, he was going with Ludwig.

* * *

**Awkward late posting is awkward...**

**Epilogue to follow**

**Reviews are love :)**


	19. Epilogue

**Title: Shades of Innocence**

**Pairings: Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, America/England**

**Feliciano Vargas was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sent down for a crime he didn't commit; Italy meets and falls for a German inmate who is imprisoned for life for an unspeakable crime. An unlikely bond is formed between these two and Feliciano discovers that there's more to this heartless criminal than meets the eye.**

* * *

Feliciano blinked slowly, lifting a hand to rub at the sleep accumulating in the corners of his eyes. He yawned, allowing his tired body to shift himself into a slight upright position. Still rubbing open his eyes; the Italian stretched a hand across to the other side of the bed and felt the soft, empty space where there should have been another sleeping body. Feliciano's eyes sprang open and he stared at where his hand was sat, splayed out against the white sheets with no person beneath it. He slowly sat up further and took a moment to examine the room; the Italian held his breath, listening out for the sounds of shuffling feet, water running from a tap or the sound of a toilet flush. There came none. Only silence greeted him back, that, along with the peaceful chirps and tweets of wildlife from outside the confines of the cosy cabin. But this seemingly relaxing, serene atmosphere only seemed to heighten the intense rush of fear that engulfed Feliciano in an instant when he realised he was completely alone.

"Ludwig?" Feliciano's voice croaked with morning tiredness as he whipped the sheets right off his body. Not bothering to put any proper clothes on the young man clambered out of the double bed and stumbled over to the bathroom in his night clothes. He poked his head inside but the room was empty, the showerhead dripped silently into the bottom of the tub.

Panic increasing, Feliciano dived back into the bedroom and threw himself out of the doorway into the main living area of their tiny home. The kitchen area was deserted, as was the sitting area and, through the window, Feliciano could see their balcony was void of any people, and the sandy beach that stretched beyond had only one or two dots in the distance wandering around, but neither were the German.

"Ludwig!?" Feliciano bleated, his eyes had already sprung a leek, tears starting to trickle slowly down his face. The Italian whimpered softly, pacing back and forth through the cabin like he was in fast forward mode. His heart was going a mile a minute, could they really have taken him so silently? But why wasn't everything out of place? Didn't he struggle? Wait, was the sofa always in that position or had it moved? Feliciano clutched the top of his head, shaking it rapidly from side to side. "Ludwig..." he moaned, his voice catching in the back of his throat.

"Feli what are you doing?"

Feliciano gasped out loud and almost recoiled in shock from the sudden intrusion. Ludwig was standing in the front door, having just arrived back, fully dressed and carrying a basket filled to the brim, he was staring at the Italian with an utterly bewildered look upon his face.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano cried, flinging himself into the man, he clutched at the man's shirt -which was one of the Italian's own- and sobbed, his shoulders trembling with the force of his tears.

Ludwig looked incredibly taken aback, he gently placed the basket on the floor beside them and wound his arms around the sobbing man, soothing him quietly. "Shhh it's okay...what's wrong Feli?" he murmured, his eyes creasing with concern.

Feliciano sniffed heavily, slowly raising his head and scrubbing his eyes on the back of his hand. "I-I woke up and you weren't here..." he stammered, biting his lip. "...and I thought, I thought..."

"You thought someone had taken me?" Ludwig finished gently, smiling warmly, with just the tiniest hint of amusement. Feliciano nodded into the man's shoulder, his breath shuddering in his chest. Ludwig gently kissed the top of his head, manoeuvring them carefully into the cabin so he could shut the door behind them. "I'm sorry Feli, you poor thing..."

Feliciano pulled away from the German, his eyes narrowing slightly with irritation. "Ludwig where did you go? I thought we agreed we were going to stay here for the first couple of months before leaving so we don't seem suspicious!"

Ludwig sighed. "I know I know, I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand another day eating mangos that we pick from the tree outside." he muttered, bending over to retrieve his basket. "So I went down to the main town and had a look around, I got fish." he presented his gatherings to the Italian, it was full to the brim with fish, various fruits and bottled drinks.

"Ludwig where did you get the money for this?" Feliciano asked in astonishment, taking the large basket from the German.

"They were given to me, I told the locals we were new to the island and everyone contributed something as a kind of welcome gift." Ludwig told him with a smile. "The people around here are very friendly."

Feliciano heaved the basket up onto the kitchen counter, slowly starting to remove the items one by one. "They weren't suspicious?" he asked anxiously.

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Feli they've got no reason to be, they don't know who we are and they won't..." he came up behind the man, gently hugging him around the waist. "...and I even asked about jobs and a man in one of the restaurants said they were looking for staff."

"Really?"

"Ja, I thought you could cook and I could work the bar." Ludwig smiled, kissing the side of Feliciano's head.

Feliciano smiled in relief, allowing himself to lean backwards into the man. Things had been very on edge for the last three weeks for them. Being with an escaped convict wasn't easy, everything put Feliciano into a panic, whenever Ludwig wasn't in his sight he would freak out, start speculating mad ideas. If Ludwig stepped outside their cabin for even a moment, Feliciano would worry that the police had tracked them down and arrested him, after all it's not as if they'd stopped looking...and now that Feliciano was missing too there was no doubt that they would increase their efforts back home to find them, and he was getting increasingly worried as the days went by that one day, they would.

The two of them had had quite an ordeal at first, flying with a man they'd only just met to an unknown location whilst a thunderstorm was brewing in the sky. It had been a bumpy ride and there were moments when Feliciano genuinely thought they were going to die. He couldn't recall how long they'd flown for as he managed to fall asleep on Ludwig. The Italian had awoken on landing on a shockingly bright, sunny day in a strange, unfamiliar place; Francis landed the plane neatly on a small runway and let them out to finally get a look at where they had been taken. According to the Frenchman, they were on one of the islands of Seychelles. One of the scarcely populated, non-tourist islands in which Francis appeared to be dating one of the locals, a nice young woman who lived there and who greeted them cheerfully when they were introduced.

Despite being a stranger, Feliciano and Ludwig were left rather anxious by Francis's departure shortly after their arrival, he had left them in the hands of his pretty, young girlfriend who showed them around the island. The town was very small and secluded and the beach was always visible from anywhere on the island, it surrounded them. She showed them one of the small, sweet cabins on the beach that was empty and she handed over the keys no questions asked. They had seen Francis conversing with her when they had landed, they weren't sure if she was fully aware of their situation back home, but she seemed pleasantly content with giving them a place to stay and asked no awkward questions or seemed to care about why they had suddenly migrated over to the island in the middle of the night in the back of an aeroplane that usually delivered goods to the restaurant she owned with her father.

Since moving in, the couple had chosen to stay very elusive for the time being, unaware of whether or not the locals would have heard about the prison breakout back home; Ludwig was convinced that the news wouldn't have reached this corner of the globe, but Feliciano couldn't help but be cautious, he really didn't know what he'd do if Ludwig was found. Even though the island wasn't open to tourists, he pictured himself and Ludwig out in the open in the town one day and a rogue visitor spotting them and recognising Ludwig from the news and calling the police to arrest him. It was doubtful, but it was better to be safe under the circumstances.

"So no one recognised you?" Feliciano asked quietly.

"Of course not, but just to be sure I told them my name was Gilbert." Ludwig muttered, gently releasing him.

Feliciano turned around in Ludwig's arms to smile sadly at him. "...that's a good idea, what about me, what name should I have?"

"Anything, as long as it's not Lovino." Ludwig told him with a smirk, he leant down for a kiss but was hampered by a knock at their door. The German felt Feliciano's hand stiffen around his wrist and he gave the Italian a reassuring smile before he stepped back over to their cabin door and cautiously pulled it open. He smiled to see it was the friendly face of Francis's girlfriend, with her long brunette pigtails and clutching her own basket full of fish. "Hallo, we weren't expecting visitors anytime soon." Ludwig said with a smile, holding out his hand.

She beamed at the German, shaking his hand. "Hello! I know, I just wanted to check how you were doing and drop off a delivery." she said kindly.

Ludwig nodded, looking a little confused. "Ja, ja everything's fine, very nice of you to um...delivery?" he asked, perplexed.

The woman nodded, she reached into her basket and behind the fish she pulled out a slightly damp, thick letter. "That's good! Sorry it's a little wet, Francis dropped this off this morning." she spoke the Frenchman's name dreamily as she handed the envelope over.

Ludwig took the letter curiously. "Oh right, well danke."

She smiled. "I hope to see you both in the restaurant soon! My father wants to arrange a trial run with you." she leant past Ludwig to smile at Feliciano who was still hidden inside the cabin. "Your partner tells me what a good cook you are! I hope you can bring your talents to our kitchen."

Feliciano smiled weakly. "Grazie."

The woman smiled, standing back up. "I'll see you soon, let me know if you want to write Francis a reply letter, I can give it to him for you." she turned to leave, skipping down the balcony to the sand on their doorstep, waving behind to them as she left.

Ludwig retreated into the cabin and slowly shut the door. He stared down at the letter in his hand, his brows furrowed. It had F & L scrawled across the front. The German peeled it open and into his hand fell two slips of paper, one a letter, and one a newspaper cutting. Behind him Feliciano wasn't really paying attention, he was arranging the food Ludwig had brought home onto the counter and trying to work out what to cook with them.

The Italian sighed, leaning into the counter he gazed out of the window across the sunny beach that beamed back at him, it was so beautiful and perfect, it was like they'd stuck a giant postcard up on the wall. This island was paradise, so wonderful and like something out of a fantasy...yet he couldn't fully bring himself to enjoy it, not knowing what was waiting for them.

"They'll find us one day." Feliciano said suddenly. "We can't hide forever, even if it takes years...they'll find us."

"Maybe not."

"Ve?" Feliciano glanced up, Ludwig was staring intently at the papers in his hands. "What are those?"

The German held them out towards him. "Take a look."

Feliciano came out from behind the counter and took the letter and newspaper cutting from the German. He looked down and was startled to see Ludwig's mug shot and a rather old photo of himself sat beside one another on the front of the newspaper cutting above a story. The Italian bit his lip, carefully unfolding the article.

_Yesterday the official search for escaped convict, Ludwig (no last name given), came to an end when it was announced by prisoner officer Arthur Kirkland, who had been put in charge of the search, that the inmate had died._

_Convicted six years ago for a brutal murder, Ludwig escaped the prison -and his life sentence- three weeks ago when a riot broke out between the inmates and the guards, resulting in four deaths and many subsequent injuries to a number of convicted prisoners. A nation wide search was conducted immediately and officers from all over the country were flown in to assist in the search for this incredibly dangerous man. Ludwig was believed to have escaped from the prison with the intent of searching for a man who had once been an inmate, who he was said to be romantically involved with whilst they had shared a prison cell._

_Feliciano Vargas, falsely convicted for serious assault and released from his sentence last year, was a well-known visitor to the prison and had been incredibly close to the escaped convict. Prisoner witnesses to their relationship over the past year have even stated that the two men planned to be married. It has since been confirmed that Ludwig's escape was an attempt at consenting to this promise, and that he planned to find and elope with Vargas once he was out of prison._

_'They were inseparable.' a close friend of Vargas, partner to the man's brother and cafe owner Antonio Fernandez Carriedo told our reporter. 'They were in love and would stop at nothing to be together.'_

_It has recently transpired that Ludwig showed up at the Vargas's household the night of the breakout, and that he and Vargas stole Mr Fernandez's car and fled together. 'They went crazy, I could do nothing to stop them, Ludwig even knocked out my partner Lovi, they just got in my car and left.' _

_Police officers Arthur Kirkland and Alfred Jones soon arrived at the household, knowing of the escapee's relationship with Vargas, only to discover that the man had been and gone, and taken Vargas with him. 'I told the officers that they took my car and went, but I had no idea where they'd gone.' _

_One week into the search and no trace of the pair had been found. It seemed that the two really had disappeared off the face of the earth without a trace. But last night there came a shocking discovery; officer Kirkland had taken their search into the sea, believing that the two may have fled by boat, and it was there, at the bottom of a cliff that officials discovered the remains of Mr Fernandez Carriedo's stolen car._

_'There's no question about it.' officer Kirkland stated at the scene of the crime. 'We found remains of one of our prison jumpsuits inside the wreckage of the car, and DNA testing has confirmed that they belonged to Ludwig.'_

_'They must have driven over the edge of the cliff.' officer Jones reported. 'A double suicide, like a Romeo and Juliet thing, you know?'_

_'I was devastated when I heard, so was Feliciano's brother.' Mr Fernandez Carriedo said tearfully to our reporters. 'But it doesn't surprise me, they knew they could never truly be together whilst on the run from the law...only in death could they be together in peace.'_

_Officers from the prison and private investigators have called off the search following these recent developments and it has been confirmed that both Ludwig and Mr Vargas perished at the bottom of the cliff. Whilst no bodies were found, no doubt swept out to sea, both have been declared officially dead and our hearts go out to Mr Vargas's family at this difficult time. An innocent life taken once again by a heartless killer._

Feliciano stared at the cutting, his mouth hanging open with complete disbelief. Ludwig was reading it over his shoulder, looking both shocked but also confused. He nudged his partner gently to read the next paper, a hand written letter that was addressed to the both of them.

_Dear Feliciano & Ludwig,_

_How have you been guys!? Seriously I can't believe everything worked out! Okay, I know you guys are probably seriously confused and worried about everything happening over here so first let me put your minds at rest and say that everything has worked out. Francis told me you guys got there safely, see? Told you to trust me didn't I? I used to love doing deliveries to Seychelles, it's such a pretty place and Francis's girlfriend is so lovely, they met whilst we were working, isn't that sweet? Anyway, sorry I haven't been able to get in touch sooner, everything's been a bit crazy over here, let me explain..._

_Okay, so when you guys left I had to act fast. I knew that the police would show up at our house at some point so I needed to get back before they arrived and found Lovi (because we all know he wouldn't have kept quiet), but when I was driving I came up with this idea, it was crazy, but I thought it might work. So basically, I pushed my car off a cliff. Crazy I know, but it worked! I pushed it off, got a taxi back home and got to work on my plan. Some police showed up about ten minutes after I got home, but it was that couple! The American and British one you used to see all the time at the prison Feli whilst you were visiting. I was so glad it was them because I knew they liked you, and that I could trust them. I told them what had happened to you, I told them the truth (but I left out where exactly you'd been taken, just in case) and asked if they could help with the plan._

_The plan was to make everyone think you'd both committed suicide so that they'd stop searching for you, and it worked! I can't believe it worked! Alfred and Arthur were up for it straight away, and helped convincing the rest of the force to search the sea and find my car, and I managed to keep Lovi quiet too. He was really angry with me, especially since I won't tell him where you are, but he's calmed down a bit now, and I'm sure once he realises you guys did this for love he'll understand, and then in a couple of years we'll come down to visit you and everything will be fine._

_Sorry about the article by the way, I know it makes you seem in a bad light, Ludwig, but I couldn't make it seem like I approved of you, so not to arouse suspicion. But now that this thing has died down we can all stop worrying, nobodies talking about it anymore, well, we still get the odd regular customer who comes in and tells me and Lovi they're sorry for our loss, but Lovi just glares at them and says Feli isn't lost and they don't mention it again. I hope you guys are happy over there, and you're looking out for each other, Arthur and Alfred send their best wishes, oh yeah and that doctor lady who works there, Elizaveta I think she's called. Apparently she was so upset to hear you'd died Arthur had to tell her what really happened, but he assured me she won't tell anyone and she was very happy to hear you're still alive._

_So just thought I'd let you know that everything's okay, Lovi and I will be over to see you one day, if you want to send letters just send them with Francis and he'll drop them off. Oh yeah, and Arthur wanted me to tell you that he's sorry you guys can't make it to the wedding, he's marrying Alfred, isn't that cute? I'm going, Lovi doesn't want to but I'll try and make him, and I'll send you guys some pictures._

_Anyway, good luck with everything guys, hope to hear from you soon, look after each other and enjoy life, you're free._

_Much love, _

_Antonio_

_PS. Arthur is the one who decaled you guys officially dead, he says you're welcome_

Feliciano and Ludwig released a simultaneous breath when they had reached the end of the letter. The Italian found the German's hand beside him and he clung to it. He hadn't realised he'd started crying until he felt one of Ludwig's hands on his cheek wiping away the tears. Feliciano let out a shuddering breath, leaning backwards into the man's broad chest. "So...everything's going to be okay?" he whispered shakily, slowly looking up at the man above him.

Ludwig smiled deeply, their were tears in his eyes too. "Ja, everything is going to be fine." he let out a soft chuckle. "I'm really going to have to earn some money now..."

"...ve?"

He smirked slightly. "I'll need to pay Antonio back for the car." Ludwig muttered softly.

Feliciano smiled weakly, he felt strangely numb, his mind had emptied itself. He shook his head, carefully folding the letter and the newspaper cutting together. "...so...now what do we do?" Feliciano asked softly, his heart racing wildly at the prospect of such a question.

Ludwig placed a soft kiss on his lips. "...now, we live Feli...we live out the rest of our lives together, here."

Feliciano felt his knees go weak and he turned to clutch at the man's arms. "...I love you, Ludwig."

Ludwig held him close, brushing their noses delicately together. "I love you too Feli..." he shook his head, letting out a choked laugh that sounded almost like a sob. "...you have no idea." he whispered, his hands were trembling.

Feliciano smiled in disbelief, taking the man's hands in his own; the German's fingers twitched on some kind of natural impulse, and Feliciano found his own fingers being tugged into the gaps in between Ludwig's, they slotted so perfectly together, locking into place.

"Somehow, I think I do."

**~The End~**

* * *

**Yeah, awesome ending is awesome!**

**I can't believe I finished this! Seriously, I thought I'd never reach the end...I'd just like to thank everyone who took the time to read and/or review this story (and remained patient with me through the long time it took to update...) seriously thank you so much for the wonderful encouragement.**

**I had the idea for this fic a long time ago but kept putting off writing it because I didn't feel I was a skilled enough writer to be able to write something like this and make it seem believable or create the right effect that I wanted, now that I have written it though I'm really glad because all of the wonderful feedback I've received makes me know I've done a good job and I'm really proud of it :)**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading and I hope the ending lived up to its expectations; I'm currently in a stage of my life where everything is very hectic and busy so I think, for now at least, my fanfic writing days are over. But I believe no writer should ever abandon a story and so that's why I've found the time to finish this one.**

**Many of you have commented saying that this reads like a proper novel and that's just awesome to hear because I may one day consider turning this storyline into a book and try to get it published :) so to all of you lovely readers thank you for reading and/or reviewing, I don't know when I'll post a story again so until next time, hasta la pasta! **

**Reviews are love :)**


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